Feather, Beak, and Claw
by corvusdraconis
Summary: AU/EWE: Severus Snape had no expectations of peace between himself and the golden boys of Gryffindor. Theirs was a cycle of hatred that went on and on with no end in sight. But one day changes all that, and Severus Snape finds someone he can actually care for, and she turns his life upside down, sideways, and diagonal. [HG/SS] M for Safety (COMPLETE)
1. Chapter 1

**[Summary] AU/EWE:** Severus Snape had no expectations of peace between himself and the golden boys of Gryffindor. Theirs was a cycle of hatred that went on and on with no end in sight. But one day changes all that, and Severus Snape finds someone he can actually care for, and she turns his life upside down, sideways, and diagonal. [HG/SS]

 **Beta Love:** The Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01, Flyby Commander Shepard, and Crazy Mishka

 **Feather, Beak and Claw**

Another AU Crackfic by Corvus Draconis

A gift for The Dragon and the Rose

 _Things are never quite as scary when you've got a best friend._

Bill Watterson

When Sirius Black had first thrown a rock at his head, Severus Snape had known then that his school life was going to be a long, rough road. It didn't help that he, Severus, had a chip on his own shoulder that dated back to the first day on the Hogwarts express, when he'd been defiantly protective of his desire to be in Slytherin like his mum.

They hexed him; he had hexed back.

He tried to get the upper hand; yet somehow they always knew where he was… and when he was all alone.

He'd learned how to Disillusion himself.

They _still_ found him.

He hated them.

He hated them so much that any and every opportunity he found to get them in trouble, he used it— only it never worked.

Now matter what, they never seemed to get in trouble. They avoided any and all punishment or got away with a mere slap on the wrist. Now, even Lily thought them better than he was.

Mudblood.

Of all the words to say, he had chosen that particular insult

Hurtful.

Stupid.

So terribly angry.

She could forgive the "toerags" that tortured him every day for the last five years, but not him.

One word.

Just one poorly-chosen had taken away the single thing that he had thought kind in his world.

Just one.

 _CRRRRRKKKK_ **THOOMP!**

Severus was suddenly up high in the air and flung like a ragdoll into a pile of hay and straw by Hagrid's hut.

And manure.

He could hear them cackling madly, but he saw nothing. It was like the sodding bastards were bloody invisible.

His ribs ached painfully, were possibly cracked, even broken. Breathing _hurt_ , and he spit out a fair bit of blood mixed with his saliva.

He leaned up against the wall, wheezing like a severe asthmatic.

His back was hurting badly, and he tried to remove whatever bits of rock he'd fallen into. He wanted to catch his breath to use the spells to clean himself off. He was sadly used to having to clean literal shite off himself thanks to his most persistent tormentors.

As he winced and shuffled to the side on his bum, he heard distinct cracking noises.

Crack.

Crackle.

 _ **CRACK!**_

Bits of shell exploded outward as a damp, newborn creature burst free of its shelled prison.

Soft honey-brown fur, spotted coat, tufted leonine tail, eagle talons, lion rump— a pale down-covered eagle head and wings hinted on a life meant for the skies—

A gryphon kit.

 _ **Sqqqqiiirrrp?**_

The gryphon's golden eyes looked up at him—

Gods, it was _huge_. How did something that big fit in an egg he couldn't even see until—

He was falling, falling deep into those innocent golden eyes.

Pools of gold. No, an endless ocean.

 _ **Skirrr.**_

The kit opened her mouth, projecting a feeling of profound hunger, she was positively _starving_!

Snape rummaged in his robes for some half-crumbled biscuits.

The kit chewed on them, but she wrinkled her expression, twisting her beak into a look of dissatisfaction with his offering.

Severus looked around and saw—smelled—a stash of dead ferrets on a line— perhaps intended to be fed to some of Hagrid's other creatures. As soon as Snape saw them, so did the kit, and she eagerly snapped at one, pulling it by the tail to the ground. The line snapped, and all the ferrets came tumbling down as well, much to her obvious delight. She tore into them hungrily, her razor-sharp beak making quick work of everything.

 _ **Urp!**_

The kit purred and rolled onto her back in his lap, filling it up with ease. Her pale, fuzzy belly was distended with her digesting ferret meal.

"Uh—" Smooth Severus, he admonished himself. So articulate. "Hi."

The kit chirred, her beak opening as her tongue slid out to playfully peg him on the chin.

"Eurff, ferret breath."

 _ **Chirrrr.**_

"That is _**not**_ your name."

 _ **ChirrrCHIRRRRR**_ **.**

"I am not naming you Halitosis!"

 _ **Chirrrrr.**_

"How about Vega. Arabic for swooping eagle."

 _ **ChirRRRrrRRRrrRRR.**_

Severus sighed. "You better not be one of those females that likes flower names like Rose or Lavender."

The kit glowered at him.

"Ariel?"

More glowering.

"Bloody Artemis, you're such a picky thing."

She perked at that name. " _ **CHIIIIIIR!"**_

"That's the name you want?"

Artemis practically radiated approval.

"Fine, Artemis it is."

A tufted (now dry) tail promptly whapped him upside the head.

The sound of a foot stepping on dry twigs caught the kit's attention and—

 **FWOOOP!**

She disappeared.

Only her weight was still on his lap.

"Are you alright, Mr Snape?" Madam Pomfrey was staring worriedly at him, a basket of plants from Sprout's greenhouse dangling on one arm.

"I think I may have cracked a rib or two, ma'am."

The mediwitch scowled. "Let's get you cleaned up then," she said. "Gods only know what might get infected if I treat you out here."

* * *

"Hey, Prongsie," Sirius said. "The greasy git is in the infirmary. Let's go make sure his wounds aren't all that serious, yeah?"

James smiled. "We wouldn't want him to think we don't care, after all."

* * *

Severus stared up at the ceiling of the infirmary, wincing as he felt his bones knitting together. He never thought he'd feel them healing, but the Skele-grow was apparently just as bad in the drinking as it was in the aftereffects.

There was a soft thump of paws as his invisible companion hit the floor, having jumped down from her place at his side. She didn't bother Madam Pomfrey, which was a blessing, even if she did accidentally tug on a privacy curtain and cause some shrill girly screaming from a few beds down.

The poor kit had promptly come barrelling back to him, stuck under half the curtain, trilling softly with alarm.

He couldn't help but laugh and soothe her fur, wincing as his ribs complained that neither had been a very good idea.

Gryphon kits could, apparently, cloak themselves in powerful camouflage. That wasn't in the books.

His eyes were getting heavy. It made sense, when he thought about it. Mum gryphon flies off to get food. Baby has to remain hidden. How do you remain hidden in a giant nest in the high mountains? Disappear. Ob-viously.

"Bloody hell!" he heard someone curse— Potter.

But where was he? He saw nothing.

He could sense Artemis in full stalking mode.

Scratch.

" _ **AHHH!**_ What the _**hell**_ , mate?! Trying to trip me?"

Potter, however, didn't answer as he crashed into a pile of bedpans, and he was suddenly all _too_ visible.

" _ **Mr Potter!**_ Leave my infirmary at once! I'll have none of your pranks, tricks and lies in here today, young man!"

"But—"

" _ **Leave!**_ Unless you've broken something, then I'll put you in a bed and write your parents that you'll be staying here."

Potter turned very red in the face, stood up, and then rushed out the infirmary with all due haste.

" _ **YEEEOOOWCH!"**_

Sirius was suddenly very exposed as well and was clutching at his groin with both hands.

Poppy narrowed her eyes at him. "Mr Black, have a seat and I'll take a look—"

" _ **NO!"**_ Sirius cried, his voice cracking like a twelve-year-old's. He dashed out of the infirmary, hobbling painfully as he cradled his wounded bits.

Poppy snorted and waved her wand to clean up the mess as Severus felt the invisible lump thump into him and snuggle up warmly at his side. As his hand stroked her soft fur, it ran into a lump of what felt like… satin?

He tugged at it, revealing a cloak.

His hand passed under and disappeared.

Severus' eyes darkened. So _that_ was how they've been avoiding detection all this time.

 _ **Chirrrrup!**_

Severus pressed a gentle kiss to her beak. "You lovely little creature."

 _ **Chirrr.**_

Severus closed his eyes after tucking the cloak safely into a undetectable extension-charmed pocket in his robes on the nearby chair. A small, wicked smile tugged at his mouth as his hand stroked the gryphon's down and fur.

* * *

 _ **AAEEEIIIIGGGKK!**_

Sirius jumped up cursing and screaming in the middle of Transfiguration class as a half-executed spell was botched badly, zinged out of his wand and transformed poor Marlene McKinnon into a giant wasp. The frantic wasp was flying around madly stinging everything in sight— students, familiars, even the desks.

Minerva McGonagall had the wasp stunned after a few minutes spent hurriedly performing damage control. "Those that were not hurt, help those that were get to the infirmary! Mr Black, you will be spending tonight in detention with me for your lack of control and inappropriate language."

"But something _**BIT**_ me!"

"As I understand it, Mr Black, you were bragging about that this morning in the Great Hall."

Sirius turned beet red and turned his head away sulkily. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Severus."

"Hrm?"

"Why are you surrounded in wands?"

"I don't know, they were here when I got here," he shrugged.

"You realise that Gryffindor is all up in arms because half of them are missing their wands, right?"

Severus looked at Mulciber with a lifted brow. "No, was it amusing?"

"Very."

"Then, I'm just going to do my homework."

"Surrounded in wands."

"Mmhmm."

Regulus sat down next to Severus. "I have an idea."

Severus slid his eyes sideways. "I know that tone, Regulus."

Regulus smiled. "It's going to be winter hols soon, Severus. We should help Gryffindor to be properly… festive." Regulus gathered up all the wands. "Come on, Mulciber."

Mulciber looked somewhat dubious as Regulus promptly grabbed him by the ear and dragged him along with them.

" _ **Ow! Okay! Leggo my ear!"**_

Severus sighed and pet the warm, purring lump next to him. "You're totally insufferable."

 _ **Chirrr**_ **.**

* * *

Dumbledore stroked his beard as he looked over at the enormous Christmas tree decorated in student wands. Each time a student tried to grab one, a sprig of mistletoe would appear, demanding that they kiss to retrieve their wand— only not everyone had a suitable partner, so the tree was effectively beating off any who did not "pass" the kiss test.

"Pranks, Minerva. I'll have to admit this one was particularly creative."

Minerva's brows furrowed. "But these are all Gryffindor wands!"

The tree then proceeded to beat off a Ravenclaw student.

"Not _just_ Gryffindor, Minerva," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Surely you could do—"

"I tried."

"What?"

"The tree wouldn't stop beating on _me_ until I kissed Fawkes."

Minerva puckered her face. "Albus, I have hard time seeing you as not being able to dispel a tree."

"Oh, I _could_ dispel it, Minerva," Dumbledore said, "But it is simple harmless fun. The wands are all there. Give them a bit of a challenge."

"But they don't even have their wands, Albus!"

"Are you saying our students are so inept that they cannot solve a problem without their wands?"

Minerva frowned. "Well, no—"

"Let it be, Minerva. I'm sure they will figure something out."

Minerva sighed. "As you wish, Albus."

* * *

 **Cheeeurp!**

Artemis was laying on his chest, taking up his lower legs all the way up to his chest.

"Ufff. Have you grown?"

 _ **Chirrr.**_

Huge razor beak answered him straight to the face.

 **SLURRRK!**

Her tongue pegged him on the face, right between the eyes.

"Mrrfff!" Snape pushed her head away. "Away, demoness. I have to pee, and you are lounging upon my bladder."

Artemis chirred and leapt off him, her paws thumping right into his stomach.

 _ **Hrrrk!**_

Snape groaned, getting out of bed. He pulled the curtains on his bed back, and his roommates were all out like lights.

Artemis had already cloaked herself, sneaking about the dorm and sticking her beak into everything. She'd already gnawed on Goyle's hat, shredded Crabbe's satchel, and... _relieved_ herself on Mulciber's robes. His robes had reeked of ferret all week, despite whatever the house-elves did to wash them.

 _ **Chirrrk!**_

Uh-oh.

Artemis had found Regulus' favourite book strap. She had it in her mouth and was trotting with her head held high— which in invisibility means the strap was walking itself around the room.

He lunged for her, but she dodged with unnerving accuracy and zoomed out the door, chirping with gryphon laughter.

He wondered if the sounds were all in his head. No one else ever seemed to notice her.

Hell, he wondered if _she_ was just in his head…

As he rushed out of the dorm to find the restroom, he hurriedly went about his morning ablutions and then ran out to find his errant little mischief maker. When he arrived in the common room, Regulus was sprawled out on the rug, laughing hysterically as Artemis pegged him with her beak in all his ticklish places, having pinned him with her front talons.

Was she… somehow bigger?

Suddenly, she was small and adorable again— well, smaller and more adorable as she curled up on Regulus' chest and dropped a drooly book strap on his head.

Regulus was laughing hysterically, ruffling her fuzzy head, which was starting to poke out pin-feathers in her downy fluff. "She's yours then, you lucky bastard?" Regulus grinned up at him. "You know how many witches and wizards would happily murder and commit utter genocide for a chance at one like her?"

He sat up, stretching lazily. "Your Ari is truly something else. I should have known all the strange things going on were the result of gryphon kit mischief."

"Wait—" Regulus' grey eyes bugged out. "She's the one nicking all the wands! _**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_ Regulus belted out uproarious laughter, giving the kit a hug and a big smoked turkey leg he'd seemingly pulled out from nowhere.

Artemis purr-chomped, and tore it to pieces.

"You called her Ari?"

"Shorter than Artemis."

"But how—"

" _ **Art-amiss,"**_ the kit rrrrked. Scratchy but quite understandable.

Snape's jaw hit the floor.

"Didn't know _that_ , huh? Hah," Regulus chortled. "You know, Severus. My dear older brother has never been loved by animals. Even our family owl hates him. I find that really odd considering the odd nicknames they call each other in Gryffindor. Seems like his dislike really attracts Ari's attention. Just like the person who hates cats walking into a room full of cats that promptly proceed to cover them in cat hair, you know?"

"I'm still not sure why no one else seems to notice her, especially after she pissed all over Mulciber's robes."

"Considering what a sodding smelly prick Mulciber is— usually anyway— it doesn't surprise me that no one wanted to look too close. Though, the little gal probably picks up on _your_ true opinion of people— which makes me flattered and my dear brother doomed."

Snape lifted one brow.

"Hey, let's go get some breakfast. This early we can feed the hungry beak until she's stuffed and no one will be there to notice."

Severus shrugged. "As you wish."

"As Our Royal Majesty of the Beak and Claw demands," Regulus replied, grinning as he pulled Severus along with him.

* * *

An entire plate of knackwurst disappeared off the table in a matter of seconds, the hungry kit having enthusiastically taken to the task of playing the Muggle vacuum cleaner.

"I swear she gets bigger with every meal."

"She probably does, mate. They have to grow fast so they aren't taken out by other predators, or so I understand. Smart animals, however, know better than to try and take on a baby gryphon. Those beaks and talons are already sharp from the egg. They also do that bite and twist manoeuvre like a goose, so even if they don't manage to tear a chunk off you, they still make you think they did."

"How do _you_ know so much about them, Regulus?"

"I really wanted one as a kid. Father said no."

Severus snorted. He scowled as a sneaky beak nicked a slice of grilled tomato off his plate and a few pieces of fried bread as well.

"She's bloody _ravenous_."

"All babies are, Severus. She's no exception."

 _ **Thump.**_

 _ **Click. Click. Click.**_

Silence.

"Uh-oh, she's stalking something." Severus furtively peered down the aisle to see a certain distinctively spotted rump and down-covered head doing the "wiggle-twitch" dance that invariably signalled hunting behaviour amongst all felines, even part-felines.

The Great Hall was, thankfully, empty, save for them— but somehow Artemis had found something to stalk.

 **THUMP!**

 _ **SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!**_

She had found something, flinging it up into the air with one well-timed stunning swat of a paw as her sharp beak clacked only inches away from its body. The long worm-like naked tail screamed rat, and neither Severus or Regulus were inclined to discourage her from vermin destruction. No one wanted rats in their food. Everyone encouraged their feline and owl familiars to hunt them.

"You get em, Ari!" Regulus cheered her on. "Show that dirty rat who's the top predator."

 _ **Snap!**_

Bat.

 _ **THWACK!**_

 **Thump.**

Bat.

 **Thump.**

 _ **CLACK!**_

 _ **Screeeee-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_

Both boys turned and stared in shock at the very _un_ -ratly scream.

 **Thump.**

Artemis returned to their side, cloaked, a small spatter of blood on her beak.

 **Foop!**

She promptly cloaked herself and curled under the table at their feet as the frantic screaming continued.

" _ **WORMTAIL!"**_ James and Sirius cried, dragging their fellow Gryffindor friend and co-conspirator off with them to the infirmary.

Severus and Regulus watched as James pawned Wormtail off on Remus and Sirius and stormed back into the dining room.

" _ **YOU!"**_ he spat. "You wonder why there can never be peace between us after you do _**THAT**_ to Peter!?" He had his wand aimed at Severus' chest and was clearly more than livid.

"I did nothing."

"You call _**THAT**_ bloody nothing?! He has a missing left _**LEG!**_ "

"Did he try looking where he last left it?"

"Why you sodding _**PRICK!"**_ James roared, throwing a nasty spell at him that was quicker than the eye could see.

Severus was sent flying up to the rafters, upside-down, and one of his boots was caught on the ceiling chandelier. Regulus hastily stood up, trying to pull out his wand, but James had Severus' wand in his hand.

 _ **SNAP!**_

There was a flood of released magic from the wand as an echo of the magic was answered with a _**SCREEEE**_ of pure rage. Regulus went flying backwards, not even able to pull his wand.

James went flying out the double doors, smashing them open and landing in a crumpled heap in front of Professor Minerva McGonagall, who scanned the room to find Regulus with no wand, Severus dangling precariously from the ceiling, also with no wand, and James himself with one wand too many, one of them broken.

Worse, a small rat's leg slid down James' face and landed square in his lap even as it twisted, contorted, and transformed into that of Peter Pettigrew's rubbish-smelling left leg— part human, part rat— stuck in mid-shift.

"What the _**hell**_ did you just do, James?!" Lily's shrill voice shrieked from the hall. She stared into the Great Hall to see Snape dangling from the ceiling and Regulus bowled over into a large serving platter of jelly cubes. The colourful cubes dripped down Regulus' hair and face along with bits of fruit and softly whipped cream— and one randomly thrown soft-boiled egg that dripped a stream of golden yolk down his patrician nose.

"I'll fuckin' _**murder**_ him!" James yelled. "He hurt Wor— _**Peter!"**_

"No, Mr Potter, you will not," Minerva's voice snapped, every bit as cold as the grave.

James froze in place, having only then realised just what he'd said in front of a teacher.

"You _will_ , however, explain everything to the Headmaster as I take care of Mr Black and Mr Snape here."

James suddenly clutched at his abdomen. "I think I need to see Madam Pomfrey too."

Much to his chagrin, Minerva just sniffed, pulled out her wand and scanned him over. "You are perfectly fine, Mr Potter. Now, pull yourself together and march to the headmaster's office. Now."

"Yes, ma'am," James said, staring down at the floor as he pushed himself up.

"Hand me your wand."

James handed the Deputy Headmistress his wand.

"And the one you broke too."

James paled and slowly placed the broken wand into McGonagall's outstretched hand.

"Anything else you wish to tell me, Mr Potter?"

"No, ma'am."

"Get to the Headmaster's office," Minerva said, her Patronus smoothly whooshing from the end of her wand toward the Headmaster. "He will be expecting you."

James squared his jaw. "Yes, Professor."

* * *

"It has come to my attention that there are those in this school practicing the Transfiguration art of Animagi— the magic to turn human into an animal form at will," Dumbledore said. "As some of you may know, this morning Mr Pettigrew was found missing a limb, and that limb was found caught partway between changes."

"It is very important that those wishing to study such arts must do so under mentorship at Hogwarts. It is a complicated art where many things can go wrong as it seems to have in this case for the unfortunate Mr Pettigrew."

Albus stroked his beard. "Now those of you who are studying by yourself or studying without a mentor are encouraged to register with Deputy Headmistress McGonagall within the week. As she is sanctioned under Hogwarts, the registration fee will be waived."

"I must warn you, however," Dumbledore said sternly. "Should we learn that you are practicing Animagistry without being duly registered or mentored, dire consequences _will_ be administered, which will include but not be limited to reports being filed with the Animagus Registry as well as marks on your permanent record both here and at the Ministry. Please consider this if you feel it is not necessary to register as an Animagus. That being said, all such talented individuals are welcome to discuss this art in a group forum with Professor McGonagall, which will take place directly after the dinner hour."

"Lastly, I leave you with the following phrase: _Bah-weep Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong._ Have a marvelous dinner."

Dumbledore sat down as the Main Hall immediately burst into frantic whisperings.

* * *

 _ **Ka-**_ **BOOOOOOOOM!**

The Potions classroom exploded in massive clouds of bubblegum pink glitter, and the epicenter was Sirius Black and James Potter.

Slughorn had shields over almost ever cauldron, but the chain reaction had already touched a few cauldrons, changing the room from dreary dungeon to a disco ball of rainbows and sparkling glitter.

"I am _**so**_ tired of you James Potter and Sirius Black!" Lily screeched, wiping glitter off her face. Her ginger hair stood on end, and it had rained glitter down on her, her things, her table— everything.

"You think _**we**_ did it? It was ruddy Snape!"

"Oh, don't you even _start_ with the 'It was Snape' this and "It was Snape that'," she seethed. "He was sitting way over there on the other side of the room the whole time!"

"Ahem," Slughorn said. "Thank you, Miss Evans for clearing up the situation quite admirably, if not the room itself. Messrs Black and Potter, you will be serving detention with me until this room is completely spotless and glitter-less. However long that might take."

" **YEEEOWWWWCH!"** Black leapt up out of his seat, glitter flying everywhere as he danced about the room, holding his groin.

"What is your problem, Mr Black?" Slughorn asked, frowning.

"Something bloody _**bit**_ me!"

"On your privates, Mr Black? During class? In front of everyone here?"

Sirius turned very red indeed as a small trail of phosphorescent glitter crabs ran down his trouser legs and scurried off into the room.

"It seems you have a serious case of crabs, Mr Black. You will go see Madam Pomfrey to take care of that at once and _still_ see me in detention tonight."

As Sirius Black left the classroom, Slughorn said. "Everyone, we will be resuming class outside on the green. Be sure to take your things, but _please_ leave the glitter behind, if at all possible."

The students whispered wickedly amongst themselves as the painful truth spread like wildfire.

Sirius Black had _**crabs.**_

No one noticed the piece of turkey leg floating by itself as the invisible gryphon kit gleefully carried her tasty reward down the hall between Severus and Regulus.

 _ **Chirrr!**_

* * *

Madam Pince found one row of her library overturned with books laid out all over the floor— yet strangely none of them were damaged at all. It almost looked like someone had gone on a reading binge and simply never put the books back.

As she cleaned up the aisle, one small piece of speckled down floated up and away, leaving Pince to ponder if someone had let one of the owls into the library.

But what self-respecting owl read human books?

* * *

Dumbledore looked out the window to see Fawkes tearing a path across the green as if he was being chased by— something. His grey brows furrowed as he watched. Fawkes rarely ever played, but he seemed to having a gay old time being chased by something—

What _was_ that daft old bird up to?

Crazy phoenix. At least he wasn't sulking around in the office anymore. For that, at least, Albus found he was happy for his longtime feathered friend.

* * *

Mulciber was having a bad day.

Scratch that; he was having a ruddy bad _month_.

Every time he planned to try and lure Snape and Regulus to the special party about joining a certain very exclusive club, he woke up half-buried in the woods covered in a heaping pile of random debris and reeking of pish.

 _What_. The. _F—_?

His owl came back to him shaking like a leaf and looking like something had tried to _eat_ it.

Stupid bird.

Avery wasn't doing much better. He had a rampaging case of crabs.

 _Literally_ crabs.

They seemed to spawn on Crabbe and then make a beeline straight to Avery, pinching and poking him until he started screaming and beating on himself until he was black and blue.

Everyone thought it was because of the recent potions explosion and Sirius bloody Black, but by the time Avery went to the infirmary, there was never anything to be found.

Rumour had it that Avery had been eating fairy 'shrooms from the green, but Mulciber didn't believe it.

As Mulciber saw Severus and Regulus studying under a spreading oak tree, he stomped towards the pair, determined to get them into Lord Voldemort's good graces.

 _ **Tha-thump.**_

 _ **Tha-thump.**_

 _ **Tha-thump-tha-thump.**_

Something hit him right in the back as a blur of vivid crimson and gold feathers zoomed by. Mulciber went flying arse-over-teakettle, tumbling into the lake as the giant squid wrapped him up in its tentacles and tossed him around a few times before flinging him into the middle of Black Lake.

 _ **Ker-SPLOOSH!**_

Severus raised his head. "Mulciber is in the lake again."

"Again? I thought he hated water."

"Who knows with him," Severus snorted as Artemis lay her head on his lap and Fawkes landed nearby.

 _ **Warble.**_

 _ **Screeechiirrrrrirrrirrr.**_

Severus petted the kit on the head as he continued to study. "Dunderhead."

"Agreed," Regulus said, flipping the page of his book and handing a large cluster of grapes to Fawkes, who was happy to help dispose of the excess fruit from their luncheon by the lake.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, Hagrid," Albus said as he sucked on a lemon sherbet. "You want me to help you find a gryphon egg that you lost after you specifically went against my wishes about adding more animals here at Hogwarts."

"Well, it sounds kinda silly when you say it like tha', 'sir, but yeah. Someone stole me gryphon egg."

Dumbledore's lip twitched. "And where exactly did you manage to get your hands on a gryphon egg?"

"Uh, well, I, er—" Hagrid said sheepishly. "Great bloke owed me one for getting 'im some quality hen eggs, extra large, you see— he was planning on hatching them. Big project. He was a bit of an odd duck, though. He wanted me to pick out a few toads too. Extra large ones. Not sure what he needs that many toads fer, but— anyway, I got 'im the stuff and he gave me the gryphon egg."

"Hagrid, gryphons are exceedingly rare magical creatures. It takes years to find a nest, let alone one with eggs in it. Then you have to survive the angry parents, who do not take at all kindly to being hoodwinked. You realise that there are people on really long waiting lists for the creatures, and even more that have tried to find their own only to die horribly? Did that not strike you strange that he just happened to have one?"

Hagrid frowned. "Well, I did do 'im a favour, I did. It was a right proper exchange."

"I think, Hagrid, that you've been had," Dumbledore said. "The chances of him giving you a real, viable egg is not very good, and even if he did give you one close to hatching and it's not there— The kit may have already found someone to bond to—"

"No! It's mine!

"Hag—"

"I made a right proper exchange for it! It's _**mine!"**_

"You exchanged chicken eggs and toads for it, Hagrid," Dumbledore reminded him. "What creature that you know of comes from chicken eggs hatched by toads?"

Hagrid's eyes went comically wide. "But— he _**never**_ said anything about—" Then his face twisted with guilt. "I shouldna' done tha'."

"No, and the people who sold you those items would never expect you, someone who is supposedly wandless, of being a Dark Wizard," Dumbledore said sternly. "Toads are useful outside of Dark magic, after all. Hens are quite mundane, useful in many ways. Together— they are unmistakable harbingers of far _worse_ things."

Albus frowned. "Hagrid, you have always had a good heart, but you are also driven by it so strongly that others can easily see what you want and take advantage, manipulating you through your desires."

"Your desire to help Aragog drove you to shelter him, but instead of leaving it at that, you imported him a mate and infested our formerly safe forest with man-eating Acromantulas, making it impossible for our students to enjoy the forest and the centaur to lower their guard for even an instant."

"If I help you find this gryphon, Hagrid, and it _has_ bound itself to another's life, you must accept that it was never yours to have. Gryphons are noble, intelligent creatures, but they are also cunning and require constant stimulation or they become bored and destructive. Can you even say you could focus on a single powerful beast enough to keep it sane when you already have so many other duties here at Hogwarts?"

"I don' haff that many beasts, Headmaster," Hagrid said stoutly. "Nuthin' that a gryphon couldn't add to. I'd train him up big and strong. He'd protect Hogwarts, he would."

"A gryphon kit has a limited window in which proper socialisation with humans must occur, Hagrid. Any and all things it is to consider friend— part of its territory... It _must_ trust what you trust, which means you must instil trust even if there is no trust."

"That makes no sense, Headmaster. Why would I teach anything to trust something _I_ don't trust?"

"Do you always trust a student?"

"Well no, not always."

"Do you want to see a student mauled to death by an angry gryphon because you don't trust them?"

Hagrid's eyes widened in alarm.

"I want you to think hard on the potential consequences of your failing to properly train this kit, should we find it— and should it choose to bond to you."

Hagrid stared at the Headmaster's desk. "Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore, sir."

* * *

" _ **ChirrSSK!**_ "

"Whoa, what's the hurry, Ari?" Regulus asked.

The gryphon kit made a beeline towards the woods, dove into the dense brush, and began rustling around.

"We can't go in there without permission from the centaur or escort by a teacher," Severus said worriedly.

"We can't just let her roam around in there, though."

"We can't be caught in the Forbidden Forest without escort. We'd both be in detention and she'd run amok." Severus wrinkled his nose.

A large rustling caused both teens to stumble back in surprise as a black centaur with long black hair stepped out into the sun.

 _ **ChirrrrrITTT!**_

Artemis was running around his legs, sniffing, rubbing, and "introducing" herself.

"Foals of Hogwarts. Do I understand correctly that She-Who-Pounces is under your care?"

Severus swallowed hard, bowing slightly. "Yes, she is with us. We apologise that she entered without permission. We could not fetch her without also entering the forest."

A red roan centaur stepped up next to the other. "If she is one of theirs, it would behoove us to introduce them and her to the herd, lest we be considered food when she is older.

"Aye, Bane. You are right," the other centaur agreed.

"I am Magorian. Leader of the Tenebra Herd of this forest. The name dates back to our Grecian origins, to which we are all related. This one is Bane, my second. Our diviner is Firenze, but he is off teaching our foals deep within."

"I am Severus," Snape said with a small bow.

"Regulus," Regulus said, also bowing.

Artemis pounced playfully on Regulus' boots and thumped her tufted tail into his side, making a drumming sound. She then took Snape's hand in her beak and gently worried on it.

"Severus, foal of Hogwarts. Regulus, foal of Hogwarts. Be welcome in our forest in gratitude for your manners and respect. Please follow us," Magorian said.

With Bane guarding their backs and Artemis bouncing around their feet, the two teens followed Magorian deeper into the woods.

* * *

Severus and Regulus sat by the fire, nestled under a shelter that the centaur had erected in record minutes— the sign of a people that knew how to move camp quickly.

Artemis was busy sniffing every centaur, young and old, checking with each one to see how Severus was reacting and filing it in her gryphon brain that each one was accepted as friendly—and part of her territory.

Much to her delight, the foals soon took to grooming her, and the little gryphlet (as she willed it so) was purr-chirping in obvious delight.

Both Slytherin boys had spent hours learning centaur etiquette, how they hunted, how to signal when they came into the forest, and where to wait for their escort safely. Bane was careful to warn them never to go to certain areas where the Acromantulas were, showing them where the boundary was only to have Artemis tear off after a few of the larger ones, enlarge herself, and tear them to pieces.

She dragged a large spider corpse with her, dutifully trying to drag it under herself, but she wasn't very practiced, so she tripped and staggered a few times. Not to be dissuaded, however, she kept at it, dragging it all the way back to camp and eating it.

Regulus tried not to cringe. "I know felines love to chase and kill bugs and spiders, but— ugh, does she have to _eat_ them in front of us?"

Severus, amused by Artemis' busily packing a lot of spider into one fuzzy stomach, could only snicker.

Then, after said spider was well and truly devoured, she was pint-sized again as well as insufferably adorable—the perfect cuddling size for many a happy foal.

Magorian was quick to request Artemis' services to hunt the spiders from time to time, convinced she was the answer to their ongoing safety issues, both for the foals of the Tenebras Herd and Hogwarts.

Both Severus and Regulus agreed to train as hunters and become members of the herd by all rights—proven providers for their herdmates and to Artemis—though whether they meant the goddess or the gryphon, neither were quite sure.

Artemis had already proven her ability to hunt, and they wove an amulet using a tail hair from each herd member to mark her as a proven ally. The kit seemed excited to have so many new friends, and she even allowed Magorian to put the amulet around her neck without protest.

She-Who-Pounces paved the way to peace with the Tenebras Herd, and Severus and Regulus were far too Slytherin not to know a great thing when it almost literally speared them in the face.

By the time Bane escorted them back to Hogwarts, it was almost sunset. Ari pranced ahead, head high and tail erect. Her little wings were already filling out with real feathers.

When Ari vanished into thin air. Severus stiffened, and Regulus followed suit.

"Well, well, well, Snivellus. Baby bro. Where the hell have you been all this time, hrm?"

"None of your business, big brother," Regulus said. "Where we walk is our business."

Sirius smiled cruelly. "Oh, I think it is my business since I _know_ neither of you were here at Hogwarts for the past few hours."

"So certain of that, are you?"

"Quite certain."

"You're welcome to explain how you're so certain," Regulus said, his eyes narrowing.

"Trade secret," Sirius smirked as James walked up beside him.

"We still owe you for attacking Peter and getting him in trouble."

"Us? Getting _**HIM**_ in trouble?" Severus scoffed. "You must be off your bloody gourd."

Both Sirius and James reached for their wands and pointed them at the two Slytherins. "You're going to _**pay**_ for that."

Severus' lip twitched. "You and with whose wand, Potter?"

James and Sirius stared down at their hands. Their wands were… missing?

"Oi, what's going on out 'ere?" Hagrid's voice bellowed as he swung a lantern between them. "They'll be no fighting here or anywhere else on the grounds. Go on back to your dorms, the lot 'o ya. It's almost curfew."

Severus gave him a tight smile and he and Regulus turned on their heels and walked back up towards the school.

"What the _hell_ , mate?" James hissed.

" _Me?_ I lost my wand too!" Sirius argued.

"Bad enough they made us pay to replace Snivellus' wand. Now we've lost our own bloody wands."

"That's not all we lost—"

"What are you talking about?"

"The map is gone."

" _ **WHAT?!"**_

Hagrid cleared his throat. "You _do_ realise I'm still standing right here, yeah?"

The two Gryffindor paled as they realised what they'd said in front of Hagrid.

"I think you two need to go have a nice chat with the headmaster. Go on now. I'll be right behind you."

James and Sirius stomped back towards Hogwarts, even crankier than when they had left.

* * *

 _ **Chirrrrttt!**_

 _ **Purrrpurrpurrr.**_

 _ **Screechirrr!**_

 _ **THUMP!**_

Minerva lifted her head up from her pillow as she yawned and squinted in the darkness of her bed chamber. She waved her hand to ignite a candle lantern and make her way into the next room.

There was nothing disturbed. Nothing was out of place or broken.

 _Wait_.

A piece of folded parchment lay on her writing desk.

Suspicious, she pointed her wand at it. "Revelio."

Dark black ink magically formed words on the top:

 _Mr Padfoot thinks you should have a bit of nip and relax._

 _Mr Prongs suggests you keep your feline whiskers to yourself._

 _Mr Wormtail says your tartan knickers are in a bunch._

 _Mr Moony believes you are frightfully uptight._

Minerva scowled as she recognised the odd monikers within all _too_ well. After Pettigrew's half-rat leg had revealed his dabbling in Animagus magic, and Madam Pomfrey's overhearing the boys calling Remus "Moony", it wasn't too hard to figure out who was who. She picked up the parchment, put on her robes and shifted, exiting her chambers in a blur of silver fur.

* * *

"Thank _Merlin_ ," James sighed with relief, picking up the familiar piece of parchment from the flagstones. "I thought for sure we'd lost it for good."

"You sure that's ours, mate?"

James waved his wand over the map. "I do solemnly swear that I'm up to no good. Good thing ol' Dumbles gave us back our wands, eh mate?"

He unfolded the parchment to see all the names of their schoolmates and teachers throughout the school, just like always.

"See there, Padfoot? Everything is just fine, no worries." James smiled. "Mischief managed." Then he folded the map up and handed it over to Sirius.

"And here Moony was positive we'd never get it back." Sirius opened the map up. "Come on, let's go get Snivellus in trouble. We really _owe_ him. I do solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

The map obediently swirled back into form.

"Wait, what are those names near us?" James said with some concern. He put his wand closer, casting a quick _Lumos_. "Is it Moony?"

"Naw, see he's there with Wormtail in the infirmary—"

James looked closer. "Oh _fu_ — Mischief Managed!" he said in a hurry, folding the parchment and stuffing it down Sirius' trousers.

"The _hell_ , mate?"

"Come on!" James said, quickly pulling him away.

They only got a few feet before Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was standing in their way. "Good evening, gentlemen. Might I ask why are you traipsing about the grounds well past curfew?"

James and Sirius tried their best disarming smiles but only rolled a one on a twenty-sided die.

Albus waved his wand and the incriminating parchment promptly flew out of Sirius' trousers. "I would hate to think you actually _were_ up to no good, hrm? Making a highly invasive, privacy invading and staff evading map, for instance, could get you no small amount of punishment depending on just how detailed such a map was."

"Professor Dum—"

Dumbledore held up his hand, silencing them. "I do solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

James and Sirius immediately paled as the map upfolded with its typical highly detailed information— noting all names, positions and activities of the students and staff throughout the school.

"I'm quite sorry to say, gentlemen, that while an excellent testimonial to your level of skill in creating it, this map is unfortunately for you, quite damning. I find I am suddenly reminded of how Mr Snape frequently stated that no matter where he was, you'd always be able to find him whenever he was alone—as if by _magic_."

"Seeing the very late hour, you are hereby confined to your dorms until tomorrow morning, when you will meet me in my office at seven o'clock sharp. I will be sending owls to your respective parents as well as those of Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew. As tracing magic conducted by a minor not under direct supervision is strictly forbidden by Ministry regulations, the Aurors will also be informed, and your record will be reviewed by the Wizengamot. If I were you, I would try to sleep well, as your day tomorrow will likely be very busy, indeed."

Dumbledore nodded to Minerva, who had stepped out of the shadows. "I will be escorting you back to your dormitory to ensure there are no further unscheduled detours this evening, gentlemen." He gestured to the horrified boys in a shooing motion. "Let's go."

The two Gryffindors practically walked with their bellies dragging along the ground as the Headmaster escorted them both back to their beds.

Meanwhile, back in the Slytherin boy's dorm, one heat-radiating gryphon kit snuggled up with Severus, purr-chirring as his arm went around her and he snuggled into her.

* * *

Artemis yawned, her beak opening comically wide as she thumped off the bed and prowled her way into the common room. Her bacon friend was there. She could smell it. She hopped up on the couch and lay down on his body, compressing his kidneys.

"Oof!" Regulus said, handing her the bacon.

She gobbled it down, slurping his face and slicking down his hair.

Regulus shook his head, pushing his hair back from his face. "You're insufferable."

Ari chirred and rubbed her head against his chest, itching it.

"All those feathers poking you, love?"

She sighed.

Regulus scratched her down and feathered head, breaking some of the feathers free with his fingers.

She stuck her beak into his book, seemingly absorbing what it said.

"That's Arithmancy, Ari. I don't think you'd be too apt at it."

The gryphlet narrowed her eyes at him, snatched the book, and trotted off. She climbed up the bookshelf and hopped onto the rafter, placing the book down and lay down to peer at it.

Regulus stared. "Oh come on, Ari! I didn't mean— I mean— you're a gryphon for Merlin's sake! What do gryphons need with Arithmancy?"

The gryphlet ignored him, tail swishing.

 _ **Poof.**_

She was _gone_.

"So _this_ is how I can finally get to talk to you," Mulciber's irritated, almost drippy voice broke the silence. "Waking up at the arse crack of dawn."

"Have you actually slept at all, Mulciber? Or are you just returning from one of your clandestine late-night meetings?"

Mulciber seemed to snivel. "You should come to one. I think it will open your eyes to a great many grave injustices."

Regulus wrinkled his nose in distaste, unimpressed. "The only injustice _I_ care about is that I didn't get seconds for lunch before Quidditch practice. I _hate_ flying on an empty stomach."

Mulciber inched a little closer. "Aw, come on, Reg. Give it a shot. Just once and I _swear_ you'll understand why it's so important. You can even bring Severus. In fact, that would be ideal."

 _ **CRRRRRKSSSKKK!**_

Mulciber gave out a huge yell and a shrill girly scream as he clutched at his bleeding bum with both hands. His robes and trousers were torn open exposing a pair of red and gold satin boxers with the Gryffindor crest on them.

He hurriedly clutched at his tattered clothes and tried to run to the door, but ended up right in front of the glass viewing window. He slammed into the heavy glass pane head first, knocking himself completely out. He landed flat on his back with a thud.

Slughorn shambled in blearily. "What in Merlin's name is all this racke— oh dear!" He ran up and performed a few spells. "This is well beyond my healing skills. Off to the infirmary you go!" He zapped Mulciber with a levitation spell and pulled him along to Madam Pomfrey.

Slughorn left, leaving Regulus to stare blankly at the greasy smudge on the viewing window with bafflement.

"What just happened?" Severus asked confusedly as other students came in to see what was going on in their common room.

Regulus shook his head. "I have… _no_ idea. He was buttering me up for some secret meeting and then— well, he tried to get in closer to me and—"

"And—" Severus asked, scowling.

"He just screamed, clutched his bum and ran straight into that glass wall, mate. I swear that's all I saw."

"Did you see that?" a boy whispered loudly. Too loudly to be not heard.

"He was wearing Gryffindor boxers!" another exclaimed in tones of disgust and horror.

"I've heard the silk ones are really comfortable."

"Shut up, Martin."

 _ **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGHGHGFFFFFFFF!**_

Avery came running out of the dormitory, clutching his bum. He ran so fast that he slammed into one of the couches on a turn, tumbled over the top, rolled arse over tit, and slammed flat on his back on the carpet— a bottle of ominous-looking potion was clutched tightly in his hand.

A boy reached for it.

" _ **NO!"**_ Severus yelled, pushing him aside. " _ **NEVER**_ touch a potion you do not know!"

The younger boy's eyes went very wide and he hurriedly shoved his hands in his pockets.

A purple liquid dripped from the open lip of the bottle and ate through the carpet with a eerie smoking hiss as a cloud shaped like a coiled snake rose up from a menacing cloud skull.

"What the _**hell**_ is that?!" the children whispered together, making a loud ruckus.

The prefects quickly herded the younger students away. "To the Great Hall, at once. Don't go back to your dorms until they have been checked out. There is no telling where that potion was or what it will do."

"But, I'm in my pyjamas!"

"This is an exception. Wouldn't you rather be in your pyjamas and alive than in your uniform and _dead?_ "

The children quickly exited the common room in a rush, chattering nervously amongst themselves.

As the older students rushed to help evacuate the younger, Severus and Regulus attempted to place a stasis spell over Avery to preserve both him and the potion exactly as it was.

"I should have paid more attention to this charm in class," Regulus bemoaned.

Severus, a look of severe concentration on his face, finished the spell, sealing Avery and his potion as it was. "I have no idea how long it will last."

"Hopefully long enough," Regulus said, rubbing his head. He stared at the snake cloud. "What do you think that is?"

Severus frowned harder. "Whatever it is, it isn't anything good. Nothing good comes from a manky-looking skull and snake cloud in any case I can think of."

 _ **Chirrrrprrrrt!**_

An invisible head nudged itself under Severus' hand.

"Hello to you too, Artemis."

 _ **Purrpurrrchirp.**_

"You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with all this, hrm?"

The invisible gryphlet said nothing— a perfectly Slytherin response.

* * *

As Albus signed the relevant papers for the Aurors, the Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew parents had to sign as well, releasing their children to attend their own Wizengamot— probably the first they had ever been to.

Memories had been extracted and sealed, flown to the ministry in all haste. The parents were all mortified, as was to be expected, as evidence of their children's misdeeds was materialised in full detail in Dumbledore's Pensieve.

They wouldn't have signed the papers otherwise.

Who wants to believe their children capable of devising such malicious pranks, if you could even call them pranks. While many vials of student memories had been collected and included, none were as strong as Severus Snape's.

Save one.

Buried in Sirius Black's mind was a plan for a truly horrible prank that would set his fellow "friend" on another student— as a _werewolf._

Remus had been obviously horrified, having already been thoroughly shamed for having taken part, even if only in not standing up to it or reporting his friends activities in the hanging of Severus Snape from a tree, stripping him of his trousers and torturing him to the point where he lashed out at any and everyone—

While it was clear that Sirius' dark plan was still in the planning stages, his intent was crystal clear: get Severus Snape out of his business, preferably forever. It was very clear that Sirius Black, with malice aforethought, intended to use Remus Lupin as a weapon to _kill_ Severus Snape.

There was nothing he could do to shelter Remus from the truth of his affliction— not from the Wizengamot who already knew but from the other students.

There was a chance, albeit a thin one, that Remus could continue going to school at Hogwarts and finish his education. The memories were clear that his participation had tapered off when the pranks started taking a trend towards the truly malicious. At the time they first had created the tracking map, the pranks had been equal opportunity amongst all the houses, but as the years passed, the pranks focused more and more exclusively on Slytherin. Then, they focused more and more on Severus Snape as their victim of choice above all others.

And, if one were to follow the memories, everything seemed to focus on Snape from the moment he had been strung up on a tree, upside-down, and tortured.

 _How_ had he missed it?

 _How_ had something so vicious and vengeful slipped past his notice?

 _How_ had he so easily dismissed it as mere boyish pranks?

Had his protection of Remus actually fostered such an insulated culture of hatred and bigotry?

It wasn't that Snape hadn't tried to give back as much as he took, but he was one person, and James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus were a bonafide gang— practically a pack of rabid animals out for blood.

 _ **Clank-tink.**_

Albus looked around his office. He got up, checking the door.

Nothing.

He came back to his desk and found that his breakfast plate had been cleaned of every sausage and half his eggs were missing as well.

Albus stared at Fawkes, peering into the dish attached to his perch. "Feeling a bit peckish today, old friend?"

Fawkes looked at him sideways, warbling curiously.

After trading stares with Dumbledore for a long moment, Fawkes whistled _Scarborough Fair_ and then demolished an entire cluster of grapes with gusto.

* * *

 _ **Thump. Thump.**_ _Tumble._ _**Thump.**_

 _Scrrrrrrrrr_ _ **THUD.**_

 _ **Padum. Padum. Padum. Padum.**_

 _ **Skkkkskkkkk!**_

Severus put down his paper to see Artemis avidly chasing a beetle across the floor, up the wall—

 _ **SWAT!**_

Bzz… Bzzz… .

The beetle went spinning off into the shadows with the excited gryphlet bounding after it.

She came back a few minutes later, crunching up her catch with disturbingly loud cracking noises and licking her chops.

Severus sighed. "Must you be so enthusiastic in sharing your evening hunt experience?"

Artemis chirred.

"Bugs are _nasty_."

Ari licked her beak again.

"She does love her beetles," Regulus said fairly.

"And spiders and squirrels and pudgy pigeons."

Regulus laughed. "She leaves the chickens alone and the owls too."

"Strange how she seems to know what to leave alone so easily."

"Not so easily, I think, Severus," Regulus said. "She always looks to you to know what is okay— and me when you aren't around."

"What are we, co-parents?"

Regulus laughed. "Maybe, but it's clear you're her main focus."

Severus grunted as he got a gryphlet beaking his shoulder, tugging on his sleeve, and taking his wrist in her mouth and twisting and turning it like she was trying to rip it off— gently, of course.

"Oi!" Severus muttered, giving her a firm shove. He flexed his fingers slightly, making a sign. She sat down. He made another and she laid down with her head on her paws. He made another and she eagerly pounced Regulus, pinning him to the ground.

" _ **AHHGGG!"**_ Regulus moaned.

Severus gave her a strip of dried beef and cracked a smile. She snapped it up with a happy chirrr.

* * *

"What are we going to do with a _gryphon_ in Hogsmeade?"

"Probably not visit Honeydukes."

Regulus gave severus a long-suffering look.

 _ **RRRRrrrrk?**_

Artemis tried to engulf Regulus' head with her beak.

"Well we can't leave her alone. Magorian warned us what would happen—"

Regulus shrugged. "Then we take her— it's not like she doesn't hide herself."

Regulus cracked his neck and shrugged. "What could happen?"

Severus narrowed his eyes. "Everything."

* * *

"Oh! Aren't you a bonnie lass!" cooed Madam Carlisle as she patted Artemis on the head. "Are you visiting? From Hogwarts?"

The owner of the shop put a few choice items in the basket.

"There you go, little one. You be sure to put in a good word for our store with your person, yeah?"

 _ **Chirrr!**_

Artemis rubbed up against her hand and purr-chirped.

"You're a fine, well-behaved little gryphon," she praised her. "Carry on."

Ari pranced out the door of the shop, carrying her basket of goodies with her.

* * *

"Oh, are you a literate gryphon, love?" Mr Bookbinder praised the young gryphon. "Arithmancy, eh? Too complex for me. I can't sell you that one one—but tell you what: you can pick out anything you like from the bin of second-hand books we have in the back."

 _ **Prrrt!**_

The gryphlet followed him into the back room and poked through the pile of books. She pawed each one carefully and then seemed to find one to her liking.

 _ **Chirrrk!**_

"Arithmancy Complex Series and Matrix Spellwork? Alright, my lass. You're the very first gryphon I've ever had the pleasure of serving. Please remember us with kindness is all I ask."

 _ **Kkkrkkpurrr.**_

She rubbed up against the shop owner and recorded his scent in her memory, making sure to rub all over everything in the back and front.

He placed the book, wrapped in paper, into her basket.

"Have a good day, lassie," he bid her warmly.

The young gryphlet pranced out the door with even more loot in her treasure basket.

* * *

"She has more stuff than _**we**_ do, Severus!"

Severus eyed the basket full of offerings— oh, so proudly hoarded. Swift pecks kept curious hands away from what was clearly _hers_.

"Somehow I don't think she stole this," Severus noted.

Regulus shrugged. "Well, it's not like she bought it—"

"Just because she didn't buy it doesn't mean she stole it."

Artemis shot Regulus an acidic glare and scissored his hand with her beak— just enough to make her point .

" _ **Ow!**_ Okay, okay. You _**didn't**_ steal it!"

The gryphlet sniffed and turned her sharp beak away from Regulus… for now.

Ari then plucked a large bar of dark chocolate out of her basket, surgically excised it from the wrapper, nipped it in half and dropped the other half into Snape's lap before devouring the rest.

Regulus pouted as Snape ate his half with silent and smug relish.

"You're a right bastard, Severus."

"Mmhmm. But _you_ insulted Artemis. You don't get a share of the chocolate after that."

Regulus sighed. "I hurt a gryphon's feelings?"

"Don't think because she isn't human that she doesn't _feel_. You of all people should know that."

"Well, yeah, but—it's one thing to have feelings, but quite another to quickly garner allies in a small Wizarding town."

Ari yawned, shaking her growing ruffle of feathers.

 _ **Foop!**_

She vanished.

"Uh… hey."

Snape and Regulus instantly stiffened.

"Your bonnie gang isn't here, Lupin," Severus said.

Remus stared down at his feet as he came to a halt. "Look. I know I haven't been the best example of personal worthiness, but I wanted to say— I'm sorry for what they wanted to do to you— using me to hurt you, that is."

Severus' jaw tightened.

"I'd _**never**_ have gone along with it, I swear! I would never inflict someone else with—" He dug his nails deep into his own skin, drawing blood. His young body was littered in scars— claw marks or nail marks, it was hard to tell either way.

"I _**trusted**_ them. I thought they were my friends— the only friends I would ever have. Could ever have."

Remus' head swivelled. "They started so innocent. Little pranks. Small, funny charms and hexes. They made an effort to keep me from hurting myself by freeing Moo—the beast. They could, you see. I thought it was all to help me, but—"

"Maybe it started out that way, but as time went on, it was no longer about me. I can see that now. It was about being safe around me. Maybe Prongs… maybe he meant it." Lupin sighed. "I really don't know anymore. All I know is that Pad—Sirius—Sirius actually wanted you dead and meant to kill you by using me as the weapon. I never wanted that. I want that perfectly clear between us. I was weak. I never spoke up. I never tried to stop it. I knew it was wrong but I did nothing. For that, Severus, for whatever it's worth, I am truly sorry."

Severus' jaw tightened and then relaxed.

"I suppose, finding that your best mate tried to get you framed for murder can put a new light onto things," he said. "The question is—what do you intend to do with this newfound knowledge?"

"Finish school. Keep my head down—and lock myself away three nights of the month. Dumbledore arranged for it since the Wizengamot determined that while I had been a part of the pranking, I had not been aware of what happened to myself during three key nights of when most of the pranking occured."

"Getting away scot-free, then?" Regulus asked bitterly.

Remus winced. "Not exactly. Dumbledore has me in detention for—well, more or less until the day I graduate. He says it will give me time to give back to Hogwarts."

"It surprises me that Dumbledore would actually punish a Gryffindor." Regulus' face was serious.

Remus frowned. "I supposed we _did_ get a blind eye from him."

Severus narrowed his eyes, turning his head away to look somewhere else.

Remus sighed heavily. "Look, I know our history has been bad. Horrible even…" He scratched at his own skin, not even realising it. "But I wanted you to know that I realise it went way too far and I know I should have stood up for it. I was a coward, Severus. I was afraid of losing my friends. I was desperate to keep them— the few people who seemed to care about a sodding werewolf."

Remus sat down on a nearby garden wall. "I had to talk to _some_ one. Talked to Lily. I told her what it was like wanting to cling to some stupid, biased ideal. Friends—wanting to fit in. Be normal. Be ideal. But there is no perfection, is there? We can only be true to ourselves and hope it is enough.

"I'll be spending the rest of my time in Hogwarts, maybe even beyond that, trying to make up for my mistakes. The rest of the time I'll be trying to make up for what I can't help being."

Remus was silent, brooding.

"Look, you haven't had a perfect life. I get it. We get it," Regulus said. "But, if you're going to travel the path for absolution, then you're going to have to work harder than you did to break the trust in the first place."

"And maybe— as our own path for absolution, we will at least do our best to take your actions for what they are and not what we remember you for," Severus said. His teeth were grit together with the effort of his words. It was obvious that his inborn hate for all that Marauders had stood for still made for a large chip on his shoulder.

"That is way more than I deserve," Remus said quietly. "Thank you."

* * *

 _ **ChiirrrrSSKK!**_

Thump.

Roll, tumble, _**THUDSCREEEEEEeeeeeeeech**_.

Badump.

"There isn't going to be a bug or vermin left in Hogwarts," Regulus muttered, flipping through his Arithmancy book.

"At least we get a few beetle wings, fly wings, and fairy wings from time to time," Severus said.

"Only because she de-wings her prey before eating!" Regulus said.

"Lily would be horrified that she eats fairies."

"Only the slow ones," Regulus pointed out.

"There _is_ that."

Ari crunched on her latest prize with gusto, making loud cracking noises as hard carapace met much harder beak.

"Did you—"

"Accept Lily's apology?"

"Yeah."

"Odd, before Artemis I would have grovelled and begged for her to forgive me. I would have gladly accepted her apology and forgiveness—"

Ari bounced up and dropped a dead rodent into his lap. She looked at him proudly.

Severus tried not to twitch as he took the rodent by the tail. "Thank you, oh mighty huntress."

She looked up at him expectantly, clearly waiting for him to eat it.

"You do _**not**_ eat perfectly good potion ingredients," he told the gryphlet. He carefully placed the body in stasis and stuffed it into a box after hitting it with a shrinking spell.

Ari seemed to frown, not quite understanding why you'd stuff something tasty and eminently edible into a box.

Severus ruffled her ear tufts and shook his head at her.

 _ **ChiirrrSK!**_

She licked the side of his face and zoomed off after another unfortunate vermin.

"What happens when she runs out of things to hunt?"

"She finds other things to amuse her."

"That sounds ominous," Regulus said.

Severus shrugged. "She's a predator. They predate."

"But on what, though?"

"Anything they can take down."

"You _do_ realise Ari has taken down a full-grown Acromantula, yeah?" Regulus eyed Severus with dubious eyebrows.

"Aye. She can also get you out of bed in seconds when setting your bed on fire can't."

Regulus puckered his lips.

Suddenly, a scream came from the front portal that lead out of the Common Room. A rodent dashed out between a terrified witch's legs as a blur of honey chased after it before disappearing with a FOOP!

Severus and Regulus jumped up immediately, cursing as they blew past the screaming witch and after the snitch-gryphlet.

"Oi, you two! Curfew is in a few minutes. Stay in."

Severus and Regulus twitched, staying in place but not liking it.

The wall leading out of the dungeons slid closed with a grinding click.

* * *

Artemis was stuffed.

She'd found about fifteen plump and overfed rodents, more than a few beetles, and ample flies to chase, bat, and devour. She left the owls well alone. They were off limits, at least they seemed off limits. She wiggled her way up into a high room, dug into a large tin of tasty sweet pellets that fizzed on the inside, chased a bunch of black, snapping gummy things that tried really hard not to be eaten. She ate a few, decided she wasn't especially fond of the taste, and went back to finish off the tin of sweet, fizzy, pellet-things.

She batted the spinning sphere, stuck her head into a pool of supposed water that wasn't water. It filled her head with images, and she shook her head and decided that wasn't what she wanted either.

She found a bowl of fruit on the desk, tasted a bit, decided the peach was the best and mashed it to bits with her beak as she tilted her head back and let the juice roll down her throat. Tail twitching, she pounced a over-stuffed pillow, batted it around, snapped at it, and sent it flying off to the top shelf where it stuck between some books.

Frowning at her lost toy, she made a grab for a dark purple hat from the chair and carried it with her, out the door and down the steps, making percolating sounds as she went.

She stalked a girl with a jingle bell on her book bag as she ran somewhere in a hurry. She smelled of anxiety. It was exciting—the combination of bell and emotion attracting her. But, before she could pounce, the sound of sniffling caught her attention.

Hrm.

She bounded toward the sound, and the salty bite of tears assaulted her senses. There was a small one curled up behind a curtain—smaller than the ones she had chosen as 'her' people.

The creature, boy... _smelled_ like a boy, she thought. Boys had a different scent to them—less of the floral, more of the spice, sometimes more stinky. That wasn't quite right. Sometimes Fluffhead, her nickname for Regulus, would smell of a strong scent that made her nostrils twitch. Softhands, on the other hand, always smelled of whatever potion he had been working on. She really liked his scent—well, unless something went wrong and he smelled of icky burnt stuff.

Icky burnt stuff meant a shower, though, and she _loved_ showering. Softhands would always lather her up and groom her thoroughly before tending to himself. She liked to sneak into the area with the big lake inside. The walls moved, and the water spewed out from strange fixtures in the center. Bubbles rose up from heaps of foam and were highly chaseable.

This boy, however, was in desperate need of a good bath. He stank strongly of tears and fear, and sorrow.

 _ **Chirrr?**_

She laid her head in the boy's lap.

The boy startled.

 _ **Chirrrp.**_

Thump.

She headbutted his chest, itching her head on him.

Small hands touched her head, soothing her itchy feathers.

 _ **Chirrrr rrrk rrr sssk!**_

She rumbled happily as the boy pet her head and more importantly itched her pokey feathers.

"Wut's your name?" the boy sniffled wetly, no longer crying.

 _ **Chirrp?**_

"You want a biscuit? I saved one from dinner." He pulled out a cracked and crumbly ginger biscuit from his pocket. "Sorry. They took all the big ones." He sniffled but held them out.

She clamped her beak around his entire hand and used her tongue to lave off the crumbs in one brush.

He giggled as she let go.

"Like that, eh?"

 _ **Chirr!**_

She tugged insistently on his sleeve and guided him along.

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming. Walk with you, yeah?"

The gryphlet tolerated his grasp on her tail as she led him along and down the hall.

The moment the crumpled velvet robes of Minerva McGonagall came into sight, the gryphlet vanished.

"Mr Belford! There you are! The prefects were so worried about you!" Minerva cried, coming to his side. "Why do you have bruises? Oh dear. Let's get you to the infirmary and have you looked at."

No one noticed the fluffy, cocked head of the curious gryphlet watching them go or the purple wizard hat dangling from the boy's bookbag.

* * *

Ari playfully pounced the fluffy little feline that was tagging along behind a grumpy-looking young man. The kitten was super fluffy, and she squeak-mewed and tried to counter pounce, but she just slid off the gyphlet's beak. The man turned around to look, and Ari vanished.

"Wut are you doing, little lass?" the man asked, clearly baffled. "You chasing your own tail?"

The kitten mewed cutely.

He picked her up and cuddled her. "I wish I could get you a friend, but I'm afraid I cannot afford another cat. They're so expensive, ya see. You'll just haff to put up with me, my lass."

Mew.

"That's my girl," he said, ruffling her fur.

* * *

Argus Filch woke up early the next morning to find two tiny bundles of fluff snuggling up to his neck. One was quite familiar, but the other was a fiery red and orange kitten with large, bat-like tufted ears and a leonine tail.

"Wut?" Argus mumbled sleepily.

The Kneazle kitten purred and licked his nose, one tiny paw thumping his cheek.

His eyes drooped closed again as the lure of kitty gravity lulled him back to sleep.

* * *

"Oh, there you are my young lass," Ollivander said as he offered her a plate of fry up. "Hungry, are you?"

Artemis purr-squeaked and rubbed up against the wizard before applying herself enthusiastically to the offered food.

"Keep your strength up, love," the wandmaker said.

The gryphlet licked her plate clean and rubbed and bumped against the wizard.

"You ready to do a little delivery for me today?"

 _ **Chirrrssk!**_

He rubbed her head and soothed her feathers. "I appreciate it, lass."

He gave her a large hamper full of boxes. "I need this delivered to Amelia Bones." He tied a scarf to the basket. "That's hers. Should help you find her."

 _ **CHIRP!**_

"You remember your tracing lessons I taught you, hrm?"

 _ **Chirpppp!**_

"That's a good lass," he praised. "Thank you very much."

 _ **RrrRrrRrrrrk!**_

The gryphlet put her beak around the hamper's handle, took in the scent of the scarf, took flight, wings flapping like crazy in their half-fledged glory, and—

 _ **CRACK!**_

She was gone.

* * *

"Where did that huge hamper of sausages and jams come from?" Regulus asked.

Severus shrugged. "It was here this morning when I woke up."

"She gets out of the common room and comes back with a hamper chock full of goodies and no one saw her?"

"No one that said anything," Severus said.

Thumpity thump _**screeeeeeeee**_ slide….

 _ **THUMP-CLACK.**_

Ari crushed the beetle between her beak and trotted over for more cuddles and rubs.

Snape rubbed her wings and itched her head, obliging her. She lay on her back, rubbing and itching herself as she enjoyed a belly rub too.

"You spoil her rotten," Regulus complained.

"She always comes home," Severus said, seemingly nonplussed.

"Don't you even _wonder_ where that basket came from?"

"Yes."

" _And?!"_

"I know it isn't stolen, so I don't worry about it."

Regulus just gaped at him. "You used to worry about everything."

Snape shrugged, still rubbing the gryphlet's belly, all his cares so far away.

"So did you forgive Lily?"

Snape rubbed Ari's wings, unanswering.

"Severus!"

"Hrm?"

"Did you forgive Lily?"

The black-eyed wizard frowned. "I accepted her apology."

"So you forgave her then."

"No."

"What?"

Severus curled his lip. "I can accept that she's sorry, but I cannot forgive her yet. She left me to rot on the Gryffindor steps, humiliated and ridiculed. She dressed me down in front of others, finally fitting in with her club of self-righteous idiots—so, no. I can't forgive her right now, but I did accept her apology."

"Aren't you afraid you're doing exactly what she did— in not forgiving her?"

Snape sighed heavily, his hand stopping the rub on Ari's belly. She squeak-chirped at him in agitation.

"I need time," he said finally. "She was perfectly willing to blame me forever."

Regulus sighed, thinking of his own brother. "I'm still trying to decide if I want to forgive or accept apologies from my prize idiot of a brother, that is if he would actually ever make an apology. Which doesn't seem all that likely since Sirius still doesn't believe he did anything wrong. Father isn't at all inclined to forgive him this time—and Mum is right furious whenever he so much as _breathes_ around her. Sirius blames it all on us supposedly being a bunch of pureblood fascists, but is just wanting people to respect magic really about pureblood supremacy? I'm not talking blood here. Just the power of magic itself."

Snape shrugged. "We all have something blame. I default to my father, and he _**is**_ a sodding bastard, but it doesn't really excuse some of the things I did trying to get back at the Marauders. We've all done some pretty bloody stupid things."

Regulus rubbed Ari's head feathers and nodded. "You're right."

FOOP!

Artemis disappeared.

"Come on, guys, time for Double Potions."

"Meet you there, Severus. I promised I'd go help Professor Kettleburn with a lame hippogriff."

"Right, don't be late," Severus said, and they all walked out of the dungeons together.

A certain gryphlet grasped her own potions book in her beak and carried it off with her, making it look like the book was floating behind them all on its own.

* * *

 _ **KABOOOOM!**_

Splat.

 _ **Splatsplorch**_.

Splattttt.

 _ **Shhhhpluck.**_

A rain of red potion goo landed all around the room, covered every desk, every student, and everything in between.

Slughorn, who had been standing just outside the door of class to speak privately with a student, rushed in and slid across the thick coat of red slime that had covered everything in the room. He slid quickly onto his bum and continued his slide into a table, knocking himself out cold on the table lip.

Poof.

 _ **POOFpoofFOOP… POOOOOFFFFF.**_

Every student that had been coated with goo spontaneous transformed into an animal while Slughorn turned into the plumpest giant pineapple the world had ever seen.

* * *

 _ **Skiiirrrr!**_

 _ **Skree!**_

 _ **Whinneeeeeyyyysquawk!**_

One honey-coloured and one coal black gryphlet chased a young hippogryph across the green, taking turns nipping the black and white hippogryph on the rump.

The hippogryph kicked, bucked, and zig-zagged to dodge the nips but was outnumbered. He tossed his black mane as he ran, his white socks flashing as he kicked and bucked.

 _Chase. Chase. Hungry. Hungry!_ The honey-coloured gryphlet chirred.

 _Come back! Come back! Your rump looks tasty!_ The black gryphlet cried.

The hippogriff took on a burst of speed. _No! Not food! Not food!_

 **Kick! Kick! Buck!**

The young hippogryph took to the air, tumbling arse over teakettle as he frantically tried to escape.

The two gryphlets also took to the air, their determination pressing them from half-fledged to fully-fledged, eager to chase and sink their beak into a tasty hippogryph rump.

 _ **Screeeeeee!**_

The gryphlets screamed as they took up the chase, instinct and eagerness taking them over.

 _Noooo! Not prey. Not prey!_

 **Kick! Kick! Kick!**

 _Tasty, tasty, hippogryph rump!_ The gryphlets cried, kicking it up a notch.

 _Ahhhhh!_ The hippogryph whinnied, fleeing across the skies. _Eat morchikin!_

* * *

Minerva wearily padded into her chambers after having spent the day helping cure all the unlucky transform-ees from the unfortunate Professor Slughorn's exploded classroom. Most of them turned into clones of their familiars— cats, owls, and toads— but all of them had been overwhelmed by their animal instincts and had to be chased around Hogwarts, captured, and transformed back. She had only just managed to save Horace from a grisly death due to a hungry Fawkes—and that only because the pineapple sporting a familiar mustache had tipped her off.

Fawkes seemed oddly chummy with others despite Dumbledore supposedly being his chosen person. Lately, Albus had some suspicion that his fruit-loving phoenix was turning slightly omnivorous, but so far he hadn't tried nicking sausage off _her_ plate.

Albus had already done an unexpected thing by informing the students of their newly instated anti-bullying policy. While it wasn't all encompassing, it was close and would be revised as people invariably tested the boundaries. He was making a good effort to drive the message home, and the students that had literally _beaten_ young Mr Belford for his box of homemade biscuits had been harshly reprimanded, put in detention for the next month, and on top of that, arrangements had also been made for them to perform public service in at-risk communities, a non-negotiable task which was to be completed during their summer holidays.

That punishment alone had spread terror amongst the student body, and Minerva hoped it was enough to keep their students in line.

A sudden series of thumps came from the direction of her balcony, and she opened the french doors that led outside. Her eyes widened as she found three extremely fuzzy, fluffy creatures nestled together in her over-packed flower box. Talons, wings, fur, hooves, and more were all tangled together cutely in a softly snoring pile.

Minerva's heart melted on the spot.

She gently placed a hand on the honey-coloured gryphlet, and she looked up at the older witch, blinking sleepily.

Minerva saw the intelligence in the little gryphlet's eyes and rubbed under her chin, watching her closely.

The honey-coloured gryphlet yawned and rubbed her beak against Minerva's fingers.

"And who are _you_ , little lass? The hippogriff is probably Regulus Black. The other gryphlet is Severus Snape— but you, my dear—" Minerva said. "You are very much a mystery."

The gryphlet tilted her head and chirped.

"Is there a human buried underneath all the fur and feathers?"

 _ **Chirr.**_

"Or am I just talking to a very intelligent little gryphon and making a right fool of myself?"

 _ **Chirr!**_

Minerva hrmed and shifted into cat form. _Follow me, will you, lass?_

The gryphlet startled, wiggled out from under the other two, and jumped down beside the silver tabby. She took one talon and bonked the cat Animagus on the head as if to test if touch made her speak.

 _Oof. Watch the talons, if you please._

The gryphlet blinked at that. _Sorry._

 _As I suspected,_ Minerva purred. " _There is much more to you than just the gryphon. I am Minerva. Who are you, my lass?"_

The gryphlet cocked her head. " _Artemis. They call me Ari."_

" _Do you remember ever not being as you are now?"_ Minerva asked.

Ari swished her tail. " _I've always been me."_

Minerva flicked one ear. " _Have you ever seen yourself as something else? In dreams, maybe?"_

The gryphlet's eyeridges creased. " _No."_

" _Where did you come from?_ "

" _An egg. It was so crowded inside."_

Minerva chuckled. " _Hagrid has been going quite mad looking for you."_

Ari bristled at that. " _Big two legs. Very loud. Bit his finger and fled. He dropped heavy wood on me."_

Minerva blinked slowly _. "A table?"_

" _Does that mean heavy?"_

" _Well, they can be quite heavy,"_ Minerva said.

" _Then, I guess he dropped a table wood on me."_

" _Wooden table, but yes,"_ Minerva purred with a chuckle.

Artemis chirred. " _No one ever talked to me before today. Bird did, I guess. So one someone, then."_

" _The owls?"_

" _Can't eat those."_

Minerva snort-sneezed. " _Which bird?"_

" _Big one. Firehead."_

"Fawkes."

" _Does that mean Firehead?"_

Minerva meowed. " _Yes."_

" _Okay,"_ the gryphlet answered, seemingly okay with it.

Minerva groomed her paw and drew it over her ear. " _Are you well?"_

The gryphlet rapidly itched her feathered head with her rear paw. " _Itchy."_

" _I mean— is someone taking care of you?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Is it Regulus or Severus?"_

Artemis snapped at a bug and ate it. " _I like Softhands and Fluffhead. They make me happy. Softhands understands me better."_

Minerva shook her ears, chuckling. " _I'm betting Fluffhead is Mr Black. Softhands would be Mr Snape. Perhaps you hear the names Regulus or Severus more often?"_

Ari tracked a fly with her eyes and head. " _I hear that often,"_ she said. " _Always Fluffhead and Softhands to me."_

" _Well, my dear, please come to me if you experience any frustration. I might be able to help."_ Minerva stopped at the door of her balcony again. " _You can rest here with them tonight, but tomorrow, I will have to change your friends back."_

The gryphlet seemed to sulk _. "Aww."_

Minerva placed a soft paw on the gryphlet's talons. " _They'll be with you regardless of their form."_

" _I like them better in this form."_

Minerva seemed thoughtful. " _They'll just have to come train with me to become Animagi."_

Ari looked at Minerva quizzically.

" _Just lead them to me, lass. I'll help take care of them."_

Artemis hopped back up into the flower planter and curled up between the hippogriff and the black gryphlet, yawning. " _Mmph."_

Minerva yawned, showing all her teeth and then padded off to bed.

* * *

" _Are you really screaming at each other because both of you think you've lost more than the other? Everyone has lost someone. Sometimes MORE than someone and more like several someones. How can you say that Harry's losing his parents doesn't count because it was when he was one? How can you say that Ron losing his brother is somehow less painful? It's ALL painful!" Hermione seethed, throwing down her napkin as she jumped up from her chair and stormed over to the counter to pay Rosmerta for their food. She handed the witch a few extra coins to cover her friends' destructive tantrum, the throwing of drinks and breaking tableware that had been charmed back together so many times that the magic finally just fizzled out and disappeared._

 _She cracked her neck and clenched her small fists._

" _I can't believe you would push aside more than seven years of friendship just to argue about something so bloody stupid as whose pain is more painful. Can you even hear yourselves?"_

" _Hermione, you didn't lose anyone. You just don't understand!"_

 _Hermione's face darkened. "You're both such… dunderheads!"_

 _She stormed out of the tavern and fled, her dark robes fluttering behind her, almost billowing like a certain wizard neither of the boys wanted to think about right then._

" _Gawd, she even reminds of that greasy git too. She even dresses like that damned dungeon bat."_

 _The two so-called "friends" then proceeded to tear into each other again as the weary patrons of the Three Broomsticks attempted to dodge the flying chairs, plates, and tankards._

* * *

" _Brooding Miss Granger?"_

" _Hermione."_

" _Technically Professor."_

" _Just— Hermione. Please, Professor."_

" _You moron friends giving you grief?"_

 _Hermione snorted. "As you say."_

" _Perhaps brooding in this most stuffy Headmistress' office is not the most ideal place for inner contemplation. Despite my most delightful and uplifting company."_

 _Hermione chortled. "You're terrible, Severus."_

" _I am a git, or so they say. Whether alive or in paint, makes no difference."_

" _You're not as awful as you portray."_

 _Snape's lips pulled tight into an almost smile. "You may be the only one in this school that believes that to be so. Even Minerva has threatened to flip my portrait over."_

 _Hermione shook her head. "It would help if you didn't yank her chain as often as you do."_

" _What? And give up on one of the few pleasures I have to entertain myself? There are limited avenues, Miss Granger. A pixelated life makes for an unfortunate number of boundaries."_

 _Hermione touched the portraits' frame, sighing. "All they do is compare their pain. Compare woes. Compare how they don't have as much hops in their beer. There's no love of life anymore. All they see is what they don't have."_

" _That is depression, Miss Granger— expressed in anger and lashing out at those who do not deserve it. I would imagine that they do the same to others at work or in their life. Perhaps— if they are married— in their home life. That recipe often leads to dependence on alcohol, as it did with my father. Disaster invariably waits in the wings, awaiting the best opportunity."_

" _I just wish I could have helped when it really mattered— before all this, before the wars. It could stopped so much sooner if people hadn't just fallen so easily in line."_

" _The price of doing the right thing, Miss Granger, is often the loss of life. Your life— what you think is your life. It may not end as mine did, but it will end, none the same. There is always a price for doing the right thing."_

" _You finally get that old cat off your back about twisting yourself into a new shape?"_

 _Hermione chuckled. "Trying to get my mind of things, Professor?"_

" _Indulge me."_

" _Yes, but I failed at being inconspicuous."_

" _Miss Granger, if you continue to stall, I will presume you failed."_

 _Hermione huffed. "Fine." She shuddered as her body seemed to pull in on itself and then expand outward in the fan of wings, talons, and beak._

 _Snape's painted eyes widened. "So, even in this you defy the boundaries imposed upon you by the Wizarding World."_

 _The gryphon sighed, sitting down._

" _Gryphons are very special creatures, Miss Granger. Rare because their minds are so much more than most think. They can hide in plain sight, which is why so few are seen let alone caught. They are true survivors— fighters— defenders. Champions, if one were to be so lucky to garner their favour."_

 _Hermione seemed thoughtful. "To go back in time and peck Lily Evans on the arse."_

 _Snape snorted laughter. "I could see that. Why is that?"_

" _She deserves a knock to the head."_

" _You never forgave her— even when she was but a memory in a pensieve."_

" _She's Harry's mum, but when he needed her most, she was dead. She did the right thing at the last minute— and that shouldn't have been the way it was. You shouldn't have been saddled with guilt. Harry should have had his parents. Wormtail— how much of it could have been stopped simply if they had known he truly was a dirty rat. I like rats, but not him. He gives rats a bad name— gave. Was."_

 _Snape's expression softened. "You know, the animal for Gryffindor is the lion, but many forget that Gryffindor was named after a man, not the animal it so resembles. But you— you resemble the true gryphon. You are not a lioness who bows to the lion, relying on sisters or cubs to define your existence. You are the gryphon who protects her territory from all comers. Fierce. You are not a Gryffindor, Miss Granger. You are a gryphon, and a gryphon does not tolerate dunderheads in her territory."_

 _Hermione smiled. "You want me to punt Harry and Ron to the curb?"_

" _Did I call them dunderheads, hrm?"_

" _Why you—" Hermione huffed._

 _A quirk of a smile graced Snape's painted lips._

" _Go for a walk, Miss Granger. Try to remember what you are living for— and not what certain others have already forgotten."_

 _Hermione placed her hand on his painted cheek. "Why couldn't you have been my best friend when I needed it the most?" Her expression was softer, a slight wetness to her eyes._

" _If I had had a friend like you, Miss Granger, when I was young and on the cusp of eternally stupid… that could have changed a great many things. Regulus would have simply adored you— would probably have even tried to adopt you."_

" _Regulus Black?"_

 _Snape's portrait nodded._

" _It would be nice to get to know the people myself rather than rely on word of mouth. Sirius seemed genuinely shocked that his brother had not been a "bloody Death Eater" and all that," Hermione said._

" _Black knew little of his younger brothers true self. I do not think he ever really knew him."_

" _How do you not know someone you live with?"_

" _Sometimes we choose not to see things, lest they shatter our carefully constructed belief system. Are we all not guilty of this at one time or another?"_

 _Hermione sighed and then startled. "Wait, how can I talk to you while I'm a gryphon?"_

" _You're a gryphon, not an idiot. Though, perhaps, I should revise that opinion as you do not seem to realise this on your own._

 _Hermione thumped the frame. "Professor!"_

 _Snape tutted. "Temper. And do watch the claws, if you please. I'm only made of canvas."_

" _I wish you were still here with us," Hermione whispered. "I could really use a hug right now."_

 _Snape's portrait seemed a bit taken aback. "You are a bit mad, Miss Granger."_

" _Hopelessly. Madly," Hermione whispered, turning to leave the Headmistress' office. "Goodnight, Professor."_

 _She quietly left the room._

" _Miss Granger."_

 _Hermione turned slowly. " Yes, Professor?"_

" _I…" Snape's face contorted into a grimace before he looked at her. "I would have given it."_

 _Hermione's face twisted between tears and a smile. She turned to leave, but she quickly ran toward to the portrait and assumed her human form. She placed a kiss on his canvas cheek. " Thank you, Professor."_

 _She fled the room in a rush, flush, and a hurry._

" _Hermione," the canvas Snape called to her._

 _Hermione hesitated at the door, inches away from having escaped. "Yes, Professor?"_

" _It's Severus."_

 _Hermione turned to look at him and smiled, a single tear splashing down her chin to the floor. "Thank you," she said softly. "Severus."_

 _And she was gone in a flurry of wings and honey-coloured fur._

" _Why couldn't you have met_ _ **her**_ _instead of that detestable redhead," Phineas complained. "This one at least has some sense and nobility about her."_

" _Do be quiet, Phineas," Snape's portrait snapped._

" _If you had met her back then, boy," Phineas continued inexorably, "I'm betting you wouldn't be stuck in that sodding canvas over there with the rest of us right now."_

 _Snape retreated into his canvas in a swirl of dark painted robes, brooding silently._

 _Phineas grumbled to himself as he stormed out of his frame, rudely shoving his way past the other portraits as he left._

* * *

 _Phineas wasn't all that fond of Mudbloods in general, but a few decades worth of firmly being told to shut it every time he used the world had started to whittle away at his resolve._

 _But this Granger witch— she was something special, something that somehow defied all of his pureblood presumptions. She had basically kidnapped him in her infamous beaded bag— forced him to be a sodding relay owl between groups— but there was so much more to her than he'd realised even then._

 _She was a gryphon._

 _He should have_ _ **known**_ _._

 _All Blacks knew what that meant: once a gryphon, forever a gryphon. She and her magical line would forever rule the skies, the highest peaks, and the territory she called home. It would be in her blood, her magic, her very soul._

 _His grandfather had once told him that gryphons were forever. Once mated, they would carve out their territory somewhere in the world and be eternal, raising their mortal progeny in the hopes that they, too, would find a mate of their own and join their parents in spreading proud gryphons across the globe._

 _He had outgrown the old stories, Phineas admitted. He'd sneered and dismissed them as mere fantasy tales. Gryphons were simple mindless beasts, just like all the others._

 _Oh, what a sodding idiot he'd been._

 _And Severus?_

 _That boy could brood more than even the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. He was absolutely convinced that Severus was given bloody awful luck when it came to any sort of relationship. Even he, Phineas Nigellus Black, had found a love in his life that didn't try to stab him in the back._

 _The two were clearly meant for each other— she who refused to cow to his snark and prickly defences and he who stimulated her mind and challenged her to be more than she expected._

 _Phineas sneered to himself. He was Phineas Nigellus Black. He was not going allow his status as a portrait to keep him from performing great feats of— well, anything he chose to put his mind to._

 _Clever of old Albus to put a witty clause on his seal on Phineas' abilities. "Until the she-gryphon roosts at Hogwarts again."_

 _Lucky for Phineas, a real she-gryphon did come to roost at Hogwarts again. Unfortunately for Albus Dumbledore, his portrait didn't have any sway over him, and so the seal was broken._

 _Opening the passage was easy._

 _Curiosity did the rest._

 _The girl was always so insufferably curious and annoyingly selfless._

 _But this time, he knew, those qualities would be a help and not a hindrance._

 _Phineas watched as the girl gasped, having pulled the Philosopher's stone out of her pocket while staring fixedly at the mirror. He saw her dawning comprehension as she realised Harry Potter had been lied to— manipulated._

 _She clutched the stone as her tears hit it._

 _Such an emotional witch._

 _Once, he thought that was a weakness, but he realised gryphons were fueled by their emotion, whether good or bad._

 _There it was— the glow._

 _The Philosopher's stone was picking up on her desires— desires that for any typical mortal would have been selfish, especially when faced with such intense emotional turmoil. The Mirror of Erised glowed— showing her the vision of so many families reunited— yet hers was strangely (or not so unexpectedly) absent._

 _Hermione Granger cared more for others than for herself._

 _Harry Potter had his mum and dad._

 _Ronald had all of his siblings, his family intact._

 _Harry wasn't trapped in a pitiful excuse for a marriage because he wasn't pressured into it after a war._

 _Ronald found someone that filled all his needs and shared in his desires and dreams of building a family just like the one he'd come from, with a whole Quidditch team of children._

 _Even that fleabitten ginger blighter of hers was there— with a full-Kneazle mate and a willingness to fill the magical world with hundreds of sodding half-Kneazle kits._

 _Molly Weasley never lost her brothers—_

 _Family after family stood proudly in the mirror, united at last, saved from misery and death at the hands of Voldemort and his depraved band of followers._

 _Regulus never died to the war trying to destroy a Horcrux._

 _So many more blinked in and out._

 _The Philosopher's Stone shone brightly into her hand, but she did not notice._

 _Her tears were falling upon it, and with each drop, particles of the stone went airborne and then seemed to merge with her._

 _Brighter—_

 _Brighter!_

" _I just wish there was a way to make this our reality, to stop Riddle and his minions from snuffing out so many innocent lives way before their time." Hermione's wish, powered by her unselfish desire, heightened by her emotion-laced tears, and catalysed by the Philosopher's Stone, impowered the true nature of the Mirror of Erised._

 _The Mirror reflected the possible future of Hermione's selfless desire to make things right for all who had lost their loved ones during the war to Voldemort's reign._

 _Hermione's body lurched forward, falling, but tendrils of light extended from the Mirror and cradled her gently. The Mirror burst into particles and then reformed into a figure of light cloaked in shadow— the perfect balance of the in-between. The figure's face was a gleaming white skull, and its bony fingers drifted across her face in a light caress._

" _Your wish is granted, my child. You are freed from your past life to be reborn anew. You will remember what you were, in time, that you might accomplish the great task you have set for yourself. Blessings upon you be, my child, for you are Mine."_

 _He pulled a small black stone from a handful of earth and drew a symbol upon it, then pressed it into her sternum where it sank down and disappeared. He tore a piece of his cloak and wrapped her body within it. He reached down to her arm and drew one bony finger down her skin. He delicately pulled out her ulna and replaced it with his, replacing the emptiness in his lower arm with her bone instead._

" _The Master of Death wishes to hold power over me, but you, my little one, wish only to restore the natural balance, to save those sadly taken before their time, taken by the hand of mere mortals who would see themselves above the hand of Death. So you, my child, shall be my rebellion, my mischief, and my justice. I give you my stone, once lost, found, and remade that you may always know the balance of life and death. I give you my cloak that you may remain safe in light or in darkness. I give you my bone, that you will always be Mine— the Price you have paid for an unselfish wish granted."_

 _Death's eyes glowed like twin flames in his pitch black sockets, an eerie, unnatural light where none should be. "And as you sleep within your egg, my child, I shall sing to you the ballad of the Three Brothers— two cursed to live short lives for the selfishness in their hearts and one cursed to live a long one, fearful of all things that might hide Death. I shall weave for you a new song— the Ballad of the Golden Gryphoness— whose extraordinary selflessness drew her to Death's Embrace and made her life worth living again."_

" _Sleep."_

 _He drew his bony hand across her face as he gently kissed her forehead._

" _Sleep."_

 _Her body shrank down and curled as a eggshell formed and then hardened around her— a great egg of a great beast. He kissed the egg, drew it to his chest, and took the remains of the Philosopher's Stone in his hands. He crushed it to a fine powder, sprinkling it lightly over the shell of the egg._

" _Sleep."_

 _The egg shimmered and vanished into thin air as magic carried it away._

* * *

Ari suddenly jolted awake, startled as her dreams were a little _too_ vivid. The black gryphlet next to her cuddled closer into her, using one wing to pull her snugly under his.

 _ **Mrrr.**_

Artemis snuggled in and settled, finding her comfy spot in between gryphlet and hippogriff. She yawned with a wide, wide, wide stretch of her beak and then settled again, closing her eyes and flying back to her dreams and the soothing song sung by a voice that made all worry fade away.

* * *

 **A/N:** Detour because it's my beta's birthday and she deserved a story. Admit it, you all love her! I love her! She deserves a little something!

Spiders: _Yup!_

Fonn: _Whuff!_

Spider with a bucket over his head slams into the side of a large cake.

Other spiders: *sighs and helps pry bucket off his head*

Blodwyn (gasps): _My beautiful cake!_

Baeg: _I have a comb and I know how to use it!_

Other spiders: _Not on the cake, you twit!_

Baeg trips over the bucket and falls off the edge of the cake pedestal, right into the vanilla ice cream.

Zorion: _Mrowl?_

Kai: _Rut-roh, Raggy! (sets all the candles on fire)_

 _*spider cheer*_


	2. Chapter 2

**Beta Love:** The Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01, Flyby Commander Shepard, and CrazyMishka

 **Feather, Beak and Claw**

 **Chapter Two**

Another AU Crackfic by Corvus Draconis

A gift for The Dragon and the Rose

 _While I thought that I was learning how to live,_

 _I have been learning how to die._

Leonardo da Vinci

Ari prowled the outer green looking for tasty squirrels, groundhogs, or extremely oblivious gnomes to eat, and her tail twitched. It seemed like the gnomes had wisened up to actual predation and moved.

Bully for Hogwarts but hungrier times for one super-hungry gryphlet.

There was a plump pigeon strutting over a pile of birdseed someone had left out. They didn't make for satisfying meals, but they did stave off the sharp pangs of hunger for a while. She lowered herself to the ground and stalked, keeping her belly to the ground.

Pigeons were strange foods. They looked pretty oblivious, but they were used to being on the menu and thus paid more attention to things coming from above. Still— they wiggled and strut just enough to pique her instinctive need to pounce.

 _One step._

 _Two._

 _Little farther._

 _Little more._

She froze as the pigeon looked up and around, cocking its head. It went back to pecking at the seed, and she resumed the stalk.

Closer…

Just a little farther.

 _ **POUNCE!**_

She landed on the pigeon, her beak quickly and mercifully ending its struggle.

Click.

As she landed, the pressure plate hidden under the birdseed triggered, and a cage slammed up and around her from all sides, trapping her inside.

Ari panicked, dropping the pigeon that had been tethered to "bait" the trap. She slammed into the sides of the cage.

 _ **SCREEE!**_

Thud.

 _ **SCREEEEEEE!**_

Thud.

She slammed herself against the sides over and over, toppling the cage like an awkward square wheel.

 _ **SRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKK!**_

The gryphlet screamed in terror and rage, one emotion fighting the other for dominance.

She caught the scent of something familiar but _not_ in a good way—

Memories of a giant person coming towards her so fast that he knocked over a table onto her.

Pain.

Wood.

 _MUST ESCAPE!_

 _ **SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**_

"I got ya there, ya wee tyke!" Hagrid boomed as he picked up the cage. "They'll be no running from me while I train you up!"

Ari screamed and threw herself against the cage over and over.

"You leave Ari alone!"

Hagrid's head snapped up to see two Slytherin boys running straight for him, both with fear and anger on their faces.

"Hey now! This is _**my**_ gryphon! You stop right there!" Hagrid bellowed.

"She doesn't belong to you! She chooses who she wants!" Regulus cried.

"Now, you listen 'ere—" Hagrid said.

Ari let out an ear-piercing eagle scream, her body starting to crackle with magic, and the two boys seemed to go from scared to wrathful. The bodies jerked as they ran and in a blur of motion a black gryphlet and a sleek black jaguar with wings slammed into Hagrid and knocked him off his feet, one taking his head and the other his stomach.

The half-giant went flying back over the stone fence as Ari's cage went tumbling down the hill towards—

The Whomping Willow.

Severus and Regulus took off after the cage, wings pumping wildly as they chased after the cage. They grasped the bars with their front talons, beating their wings to break the descent of the tumbling cage. They landed in a heap just as the—

 _ **WHOMP!**_

The willow's clubbed knob barely missed them— just out of reach.

As if to add insult to injury, the cage burst into pieces, releasing Artemis from her imprisonment.

A glossy silver tabby was running down the hill at full speed. She skid to halt where the three exhausted beasts were in a pileup.

"Mr Snape, Mr Black!" she panted, having turned back into her human form. "Whyever did you leave so qui— _**OH!**_ Artemis!"

Without a word, and not even seeming to care that Severus and Regulus were not looking human, she scooped up the battered and bruised golden gryphlet, running her wand over her. Ari looked up at Minerva, panting, but not struggling.

"Oh, love, hold on then," Minerva said. "Let's get you to Poppy."

Minerva looked down. "You too, Mr Snape, Mr Black. We can discuss what happened and fill out your Animagus paperwork while Poppy looks you all over."

The young black jaguar and gryphlet wheezed, hardly able to move.

Minerva picked up a stick and made a stretcher out of it, transferred all three onto it, and floated it in front of her as she carried them off to the infirmary.

* * *

Artemis pawed at Poppy's wand, attracted to the light that came from it.

"Hey now!" Poppy said. "You must be feeling better."

Ari tried to stretch and winced as some pain lingered.

"Easy now." Poppy had a dropper in her hand. "I have medicine for you. You won't like the taste, but the pain will go. Minerva said you understand. Do you understand?"

Artemis eyed the dropper suspiciously but stuck out her tongue.

Poppy dropped the medicine on her tongue, and the gryphlet swallowed it, making disgusted faces.

The black gryphlet next to her barely moved, still too exhausted from the emergency use of magic and his desperate transformation into an Animagus form. The young flying jaguar was a heap of fur and feathers, a virtual throw pillow on the bed. The only sign he was alive was the slow in and out of his chest when he breathed.

"Well they are all healthy, Minerva," Poppy said. "A little muscle strain, bruising, but nothing broken."

Minerva, who was still in tabby form to speak with the two unintentional Animagi, finished off her paperwork using a ensorcelled quill that worked regardless of what form she was in. She transformed back into her human self, grabbed the quill, and signed the paperwork. Her wand produced a molten wax, and she pressed her signet ring into the cooling wax to seal the scroll. She passed the scroll to an elder owl— a stately looking old bird that was so big he just carried full-sized scrolls instead of having them tied to his foot.

The owl hooted appreciatively as Minerva gave him a frog, and he took off out the infirmary window as he carried the scroll to the Animagus Registry Office.

"Well, you two are solidly one gryphon and one jaguar Animagus— though I am not quite sure how you gained wings, Mr Black. That's hardly natural for the species."

"Fear and need, Minerva," Poppy said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Much like younger accidental magic. I think these two, already having been familiar with new forms thanks to that explosion in Horace's classroom, simply made the instinctive leap to help their friend here. Though, yes, I am curious about the winged jaguar."

Regulus let out a soft groan, having tried to move and being immediately admonished by his aching muscles.

Minerva sighed. "I have a feeling these three couldn't be separated no matter what. His form gained wings so he could not be parted from the group."

Minerva rubbed Ari's chin and behind her ear tufts, earning her a rumbling purr-chirp. "Perhaps Artemis has her own magic—to protect her territory and herself, giving them the magical push to a form that could help her out of that cage."

"A cage, Minerva? Are you certain?"

"I am," Minerva answered, scowling. "As sure as I'm standing here, Hagrid had a trap set for her. Albus warned him about bringing in new creatures, but I am unsure if he was the reason she came to us or if he just wants her for himself."

"But she's solidly with these two—if not even more so with Mr Snape. The proof is in the magic that changed them together, if not from a test from the Ministry Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They are Class Four, second only to the untameable, unhandleable, and completely dangerous to all life." Minerva frowned. "I am positive that they did not steal her. She told me— oh, Minerva you are an oblivious idiot for sure— she _TOLD_ me that Hagrid had knocked a table over onto her in his haste to catch her and I hadn't even thought he'd continue to go after her. I had even told her that Hagrid was going a little nuts looking for her. I just figured— I thought—"

"You've had a lot on your plate, Minerva," Poppy said. She pulled the privacy curtain around the three snoozing beasts. "They seem to be alright. Perfect health—if anything, better health than most sweet-gorged youth. Severus requires a little more nutrition, I think—but he's put on some weight since I last patched him up. Maybe he's been eating better since Artemis has joined us."

Minerva worked the tension out of her muscles. "At least Hogwarts is less prone to bullying—so far at least."

"Whatever happened to those boys?" Poppy asked.

"Remus is being allowed back at Hogwarts provided he is under detention until—well, probably until he graduates. The Shrieking Shack is to be warded much more thoroughly to prevent any of the shenanigans the boys had been getting away with. They've separated James and Sirius in the hopes it helps them break out of groupthink and think on their own—there may be hope for James Potter. Sirius—I don't know Poppy. He had murder in his head and in his mind there was no doubt whatsoever that it was the right thing to do. I'm not sure there is a cure for his kind of casual brutality or a therapy that can counter his belief that murder is perfectly acceptable."

Poppy shook her head. "While some members of the Black family are, admittedly, more unstable than others, that sort of prejudice is almost as fanatical as his two cousins—Bellatrix and, bother, I forget the name of the other. Died in a duel and was stricken off the family tree for the shame, never to be spoken of again."

"That seems to be a thing with the Black family—some branches, anyway," Minerva said thoughtfully.

"I will have to speak with Albus about Artemis. I don't want Hagrid trying anything like that again—not that I think she'd allow herself to be hoodwinked again, but—"

Poppy nodded fervently. "That's a good idea, Minerva. Knowing the old legends, a gryphon is not something you want to get on the bad side of. Hagrid should really know better. Sometimes I think his giant heritage makes him brazen. He forgets that the rest of us are far more fragile. He also forgets that some things can and will hurt him if he brasses them off enough.

Minerva agreed, shaking her head. "Take care of them, Poppy. Try not to let them get into too much trouble."

Poppy snorted. "Off with you, Minerva."

Minerva chuckled and swept from the infirmary in a flurry of emerald green crushed velvet robes.

* * *

Artemis perked as Amelia came into the room, and the gryphlet pounced her, leaping into her arms and greeting her with happy purr-chirps.

"Well, hello there, Artemis," Amelia greeted, rubbing and loving on the young gryphon. "I see you brought your people with you.

Ari nodded decisively and took Amelia's hand in her beak, gently chewing on her without breaking skin.

The rather intimidating woman eyed both young wizards with piercing gazes, and they couldn't help but widen their eyes at her. Maybe it was the dark red and black robes of the Wizengamot, or maybe it was her hawk-like gaze. Neither boy was sure.

Ari, however, trusted her, greeted her as a friend, so they had to chew on that revelation as well.

"I am Amelia Bones," she said. "I run a very tight ship in the Department of Mysteries, but I am here today to test the bond between you and Artemis as well as your Animagus status so you two can have your licenses both in Animagistry and Gryphon Caretaking Authorisation. This will also keep certain other interested parties from trying to steal Artemis out from under you, which I presume you do not want."

Both boys shook their head, silent and utterly intimidated.

"She's just like my father," Regulus whispered tightly as Amelia left the room to fetch something. "Scary without even trying."

Severus eyed Regulus, shaking his head. "My father is a drunkard. I prefer this."

Regulus looked like he was going to say something but decided his argument was dead.

Amelia came back in, Ari running around her in little circles. She made a bunch of hand signals to her, saying nothing. And Artemis flew up and fetched a bottle of ink from the third shelf from the top and flew back down to give it to her.

Severus and Regulus' jaw hit the floor.

 _ **Chirrrup!**_

"That's a good girl. How about—" She signalled again.

Ari zoomed out of the room. There was a cry of surprise from three doors down, a thud, and the patter of feet as Ari trotted back in carrying a large lacquered box in her beak.

"Hah! Excellent!" Amelia exchanged the box for a leg of something that looked like it had come off an ostrich. Ari tore into it hungrily and settled by Amelia's feet.

"Okay, lads. When was the first time you changed into your Animagus forms?"

Severus and Regulus exchanged glances. "Without or without the potion accident?"

Amelia raised a brow. "Without."

"The day Hagrid tried to trap Artemis," Severus said. "We heard her screams."

"And we went running," Regulus said. "She was frantic and terrified, and the next thing we knew—"

"We just wanted him to let her go."

"And since then, you both have been able to shift in and out without issue? No trouble?"

The boys shook their head. "It took a few times, but yes. Now we can." Severus said. Regulus nodded in agreement.

"Please show me."

The boys looked a little sheepish for a few seconds and then—

 _ **FOOP!**_

A winged jaguar and a black gryphlet sat in their places. Ari pounced them both, and they tumbled, growled, chirp-screeched, and roared together; fur and feathers flying in all directions, and then they landed in a heap and rested together.

Amelia hummed and signed a parchment in front of her. "Shift back please?"

Artemis pouted as they returned to human form, but she forgave Snape quickly enough when he picked her up and cuddled her, rubbing her itchy spots.

"You have a choice between a stylish or rebellious cuff on your ear or a bangle. Neither will be visible to common bystanders, but in the case of your Animagus form it will show as a small gold or silver marking on your Animagus form—nothing that someone casually looking would notice. It is not meant as brand to tell all, after all. It simply protects you from being accused of something like peeping or whatever rubbish people come up with when drunk."

Regulus snorted at that, all too familiar with his elder brother's penchant for shameful drunken exploits—like getting so knackered that he thought the statue of Merlin was a woman and that "she" had attractive child-bearing hips. Their Lord Father had dragged Sirius by the ear, thrown him into the house and into a cold shower and then forced him to clean his room without magic.

That, of course, had revealed so many more things to be ashamed of—such as scantily-clad Muggle women on motorcycles, Muggle band posters, and the photographs that were not even _remotely_ appropriate for public consumption.

Sirius' backside and rear had been glowing Gryffindor red by the end of that—and Regulus swore that he saw his father's hands twist into talons and his eyes glow balefully before he slammed down his controls and returned to normal.

He might have imagined that, but—

He just wasn't sure.

"I will go for the earcuff," Regulus said.

"Same," Severus echoed.

Amelia scribbled for a long time on a few more scrolls before waving her wand over two cuffs that were sitting in the velvet-lined boxed Ari had dutifully fetched earlier. They glowed with the enchantment, and she placed them on their ears. The metal painlessly fused to their ear, becoming a part of it.

"I took the liberty of informing your father, Regulus, and he was only too happy to let us know how very proud he was. He already has half the Ministry invited to the celebratory party for both you and Severus. Regulus' jaw dropped again. " _Father?"_

"Of course," Amelia said with a laugh.

"He— _approves_?"

Regulus took a while to digest the fact, as his brother's status as an Animagus had _not_ come with any sort of happy celebration. Mind you, he'd also had a plan to murder someone at the time with a bloody werewolf.

"Contrary to popular belief or the recent surge in them, Animagi are usually quite rare. It takes very focused and determined magic, strong need, long study, or all of the above to make the right things happen, and even then, sometimes people get stuck in half forms or never return from the shift. It can be very daunting. You two, however, had a very focused need and strong magic as well as a leg up on the entire transformation thanks to your potions class. Your body was already familiar with the pathways."

"It's not to say that all of your classmates will be able to do the same, however. I think—I _know_ —that your friend here binds you together in a very intimate sort of magic that is different from that of familiar and witch or wizard. That being said, we must test you using the tools we have for familiars in order to make it a legally binding bond. Without that, anyone could challenge your right to her simply by saying they paid for her while you did not."

Artemis bristled, catching the gist of ownership well enough.

Amelia soothed the indignant gryphlet's ears. "Now, we all know that she's made her choices, but the test confirms there _is_ a magical bond. That trumps payment every time. Shall we begin?"

The two young wizards nodded.

The rest of the day was long. Everything from coming when called and guiding her through areas of danger (denying her instincts) and her guiding them through similar areas (using her instincts), food trust, meeting new people, and all sorts of mental exercises such as imagining what they wanted and seeing if she'd fetch it.

At one point, they had to redo the test when Amelia realised the gryphlet wasn't fetching half of their targets because they hadn't said please— much to their embarrassment. All was made even more embarrassing when Amelia managed to lure Artemis off of sitting on them like a fifty tonne weight and refusing to do anything—for _them_ at least.

Finally, after many, many hours, the trials and tests were done. Artemis received certification as a search and rescue creature and service animal, given credentials (and a hefty glamour to look like a rather stately-looking Pharaoh Hound in Muggle areas), all of her required potions for disease and parasites, Muggle tags and license, and her official handler: Severus Tobias Snape. Severus' co-handler was none other than Regulus, and the trio had become the first air and ground rescue team to train under elite names such as Windsong Cloudsinger and his thunderbird Marahute, and Softfoot Shadowstalker and his partner, a Nundu named Cadbury.

Their future was pretty much guaranteed once they'd graduated Hogwarts. They were to be apprenticed immediately, starting from the time they pressed their signet rings into the wax, train in the summer hols, "commute floo" on weekends for training during the school year, work on custom joint projects that would provide Hogwarts credits as well as qualify as training for their field, and upon graduation and sitting their N.E.W.T.s, they would be sent out on their first assignments with both Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker.

"I think I realised now why father was throwing a celebration," Regulus said. "I'm betting he knew there'd be offers."

"Training with the first gryphon in almost a century? I think he knew what I'd be up to," Amelia said as she passed them their new signet rings, apprentice pins, letter to Twilfit and Tattings in Diagon Alley for custom apprentice robe fittings, Ollivander's to get a wand "fitting", sign up for Apparition lessons, and a list of other things they needed to get done before going back to Hogwarts.

"Wand fitting?" Severus said, staring at the parchment.

"He'll explain when you get there," Amelia said, waving her hand.

"Ok," Amelia said, pushing over two bulging sacks of galleons. "This is to pay for your fittings and such. There should be enough there to pay for everything and treat yourself to a fine dinner at The Silver Phorminx. They know us well there, and they welcome service 'animals'."

"After you finish, you can return to Hogwarts. I will have word sent so the Headmaster knows to expect your return a little later than usual."

The two young wizards looked gobsmacked.

"Also, this Friday is your party, courtesy of your father, so you will be able to floo out from the Headmaster's office to attend it. You are, or so he said, permitted to bring a guest—preferably nothing, how did he say it?, that your dear brother would see fit to bring home to mother."

Regulus' eyes widened. "No problem there."

Amelia chuckled. "Well, don't let me hold you back. Get your things, enjoy that dinner, and see that you get back to Hogwarts before the cock crows."

"Yes, ma'am!" they said together as Ari promptly jumped off of Snape's lap and into Amelia's.

Snape went a little cross-eyed from her unexpected launch from way-too-close-to-his-privates.

Artemis rubbed up against Amelia and let her give her ear tuft an ID band and a collar to keep her from being labelled as a rogue animal. She smacked Amelia's face with her tail for her own amusement.

"There now, my lass. I'm not sure if you keep them out of trouble or if they keep you out of trouble, but do try to keep your nose clean, hrm?"

Ari's tongue pegged the witch between the eyes.

"Oof. Thank you for that!" Amelia laughed and stood, setting the gryphlet on the floor.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"What will happen to Hagrid?"

Amelia sighed. "He will be warned that Artemis is no longer his concern. She is legally and magically bound to Severus, and there is a strong bond to you as well, Regulus. To attempt to break it would see him facing strong repercussions."

The boys nodded, swallowing hard.

 _ **Skkkrrkkrkrkrrr!**_ Ari chirred.

"And gryphonese profanity, yes." Amelia smiled. "Go on now. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, ma'am," they said together and left, Ari bouncing along behind them as she carried a large bone she had picked up from somewhere.

"She's going to be a real handful," Amelia chuckled as they left.

"Oi! Come back with the femur of my Amphicyon!"

Amelia closed her eyes, shaking her head as the gryphlet disappeared but the bone remained where she was, seemingly floating down the hallway without anything to help it along.

"Come back 'ere you!" the man cried, chasing after the renegade bone.

* * *

"Oh, don't _you_ look like the prepared little lass?" The man at the bag shoppe was chuckling as he fit the gear back on the wriggling gryphlet. The service vest sported pockets everywhere, bright colours to mark her as an official working service beast, and the easily recognisable logo for the DoM emblazoned on it.

 _ **Chirrr?**_

Artemis bounced around, making the pack jingle merrily. She seemed a little awkward for a while, but then she got the hang of it and promptly forgot it was even there.

She rubbed up against the man, and he scratched under her chin and gave her a treat from the counter.

"You know her?" Severus asked.

"Oh! Of course. She's been running errands around 'ere for months now, making friends where'r she goes," the man said. "She the only carrier we have that can carry heavy parcels and never worry about her being hoodwinked on delivery."

"Clever girl," Severus said, staring at his entrepreneurial gryphlet.

 _ **Chirr!**_

"Barely out of the egg and already taking out Acromantulas and building your own business."

Ari seemed obliviously smug. She collected pats and scritches from all the staff like a Roman Centurion checking on the status of his troops before a battle.

"Alright, 'ere you go, lass. All your field packs and belt bags. They're all made with undetectable extension charms in case you have to stash a ruddy mammoth or something, but try not to do that _too_ often."

Snape blinked before realising the man was joking. _How surreal,_ he thought. _Joking. With me._

"The bags will grow with 'er," he said. "Yours will too, but if there is ever a shrinking problem, come back and we'll take care of it."

They paid with a few coins from the bag, setting aside a galleon tip for the excellent service and help. Ari, the little overachiever, had already gathered extra supplies and had them stashed in her pack.

"Will the bag disappear with her—" Regulus started to say.

 _Foop_!

Both Ari and her bag disappeared together as she trotted out the door carrying a—was that a _fig_?

The two wizards could only follow behind, muttering lowly to themselves.

* * *

"Well hello there, my lady," a warm voice greeted. Arms reached down to pick up the gryphlet, and she rumbled, chirped, and play-feinted pecks at his hands.

The man smiled at her, ruffling her feathers and playfully tugging on her tufted tail.

She squawked and wriggled, flipping on her back and batting clawlessly at his hands and face with her back legs, keeping her dangerous front talons out of the way.

"Atta girl. Do you remember the tricks I taught you?"

Ari chirred and wiggled excitedly in his arms.

"Dead gryphon."

Ari went still, paws and tail drooping lifelessly, tongue sticking out of her beak.

"Back to life!"

Ari sprang 'to life' again, wriggling and pawing happily.

"So fierce!"

Artemis snarled and puffed up, looking quite ferocious.

"Calm down, pet."

She relaxed and squeaked up at him.

"Who's your favourite Auror in the whole world?"

" _ **K-kkk-kings!"**_ she squawked.

"Atta girl!" The man placed a kiss on her beak.

Severus and Regulus ran up, panting, having only just caught up to the hyper gryphlet on a mission.

"Does she know _everyone_ in Diagon Alley?" Regulus said in between pants.

Kings smiled. "So, we have you two to thank for such a well-socialised little lady, hrm? Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, at your service."

"Severus Snape."

"Regulus Black."

They bowed together.

"Your little Artemis has been charming us since—well, at least for a few months now. She was helping me with a project, weren't you, my lady?"

 _ **Chirr!**_

What project?" Severus asked.

"She carried a sensor on her that detected malicious or camouflaged magic. She helped us gather enough evidence to convict regarding the situation where a few of your fellow students were leaving that rather foul potion you found on Mr Avery, yes?"

"You were the investigating Auror! I remember now!" Regulus exclaimed.

Kingsley smiled. "I was indeed. And Artemis here helped me track down where that magic had been. She's quite the detective. We have a team that's pulling apart all the data she brought us. I hear you've been accredited to join the team too. Good on you both."

"She's done so much as a baby. That's like having having a real job as a toddler!" Regulus complained.

Kingsley laughed. "Gryphons have a strong genetic memory, lad. Sometimes it takes a while for that knowledge to catch up to them, but they will remember a slight your _grandfather_ gave to their mother if you catch my meaning."

Regulus and Severus grew wide-eyed.

"The problem is— if they aren't properly socialised, it's easy to give them bad memories to pass on. That is why if you are trying to adopt one, usually, there are a hundred thousand hoops to jump through to ensure you don't imprint a legacy of your stupidity onto an entire line of gryphons."

Severus gave Regulus a l ook. "Hagrid is _toast_."

"Hrm?" Kingsley said.

"He tried to catch her in a cage, and she—well, she really freaked out."

Kingsley winced. "Burnt toast then. She will _never_ forget the incident or forgive him for it. That's just how gryphons are when it comes to their freedoms. They will forgive _their_ people mistakes, but—well, you can see why people who try to raid nests and kidnap baby gryphons don't last long between the parents' claws and the gryphlet itself hating their guts."

Severus and Regulus nodded in agreement.

"But this little lady," Kingsley said, rubbing her stomach. "She's a perfect balance of the wild and keen intelligence combined. You did very well with her, whether you realised that or not."

"We're starting to think she's been teaching herself," Severus admitted.

Kingsley ran his finger down her beak, and she _scree_ - _chirr_ ed at him. "One day, she'll wake up with more things to remember. It won't make her less of who she is to you. She will simply be more. You will always be _her_ people. Try to remember that whenever you experience growing pains.

"Well, I won't keep you from your business in the Alley," Kingsley said. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt," Severus said.

"Thank you," Regulus echoed.

Kingsley grinned as he handed over the squirmy gryphlet. "Good to see you, my little lady," he said. Running a finger up the pads of her rear paws. She chirred happily, pumping her legs. "Good day to you."

"Good day," the two replied as the Auror disappeared into the crowd and then blended in as skillfully as a mazikeen.

"Anyone else in high places you'd like us to meet?" Severus asked the gryphlet.

Ari gave him big innocent eyes.

"Yeah, I don't believe that for a second."

" _ **Squirrrp?**_ "

"Ah! The gryphon handlers!" a voice cried as a man came up, his team of bodyguards flanking him with urgency. "Hello there. I'm not sure you've met me yet, but I'm Harold Minchum"

"Minister Minchum !" the bodyguard protested as he held out his hand invitingly.

Both Severus and Regulus took it and shook, wide-eyed.

" _ **Skirrr!"**_ Ari chirred smugly.

"Hello, my young friends," the Minister for Magic greeted. "I just wanted to wish you congratulations on accepting our little job internship, yes?"

Ari purred as her fuzzy belly got rubbed, completely happy to oblige the Minister.

"I've been quite busy trying to keep dangerous wizards and witches in Azkaban where they belong," the Minister said. "It gladdens me to know that our fine youth are training to be outstanding members of the Wizarding world and free of the darkness and corruption that seems to be taking our society to the very brink of destruction."

 _ **Flash!**_

 _Pop_ _ **FLASH!**_

Cameras came out of nowhere to take pictures of the Minister with whoever was the "target of the day, week, year". One of the bodyguards angrily chased them off.

"Ugh, sorry about that. You just can never prepare for the press. They are always unpleasant, bothersome and underfoot; rather like cockroaches."

Artemis licked her beak.

"No!" Severus and Regulus said together. "No cockroaches!"

Ari seemed to pout. _Fine._

She skulked into the shadows and pounced a beetle, chomping it noisily.

Regulus twitched.

Severus seemed more focused on the fact that he thought he heard an actual word in his head.

 _Did I just imagine that?_ Severus boggled.

Ari pounced a centipede and snapped at it, crunching even more noisily.

"Well, aren't _you_ the very capable pest patrol?" Minister Minchum said with a laugh.

Ari bounced up and headbonked the Minister's hand.

Severus watched as the gryphlet manipulated her audience for the best scritches and rubs, using her adorable cuteness as cajolery-or as a scalpel, depending on how you looked at it. She feinted towards the guards, playfully tackled their boots, flopped over on her back, wriggled her paws and talons, and then flipped back over and dashed away in the cutest _almost-_ feline way possible. The guards melted completely, unable to resist her charms.

One of the sternest-looking guards the two young wizards had ever seen picked Ari up and cuddled her. She obliged by making herself utterly floppy in his arms. Her enthusiastic purring chirr practically shook the windows.

When he stopped rubbing, she made a soft sound of disappointment that elicited even more petting, much to her delight.

The Minister for Magic smiled at the sight, leaning over to rub her stomach when—

 _ **SNAP!**_

Ari's mandible and maxilla clacked together mere inches from his face.

"What the—" the guards cried.

There was a blood-curdling screech as Ari went tumbling to the ground, the guards had their wands out, and a mangled bright green and blue beetle buzz buzzed and flailed on the ground before turning into a much-abused Gryphlet-chomped witch.

" _ **Animagus!"**_ the guards cried, sending multiple kinds of stunning spells, one after another, until the lacerated witch could only lay there on her back, staring straight up in fear and pain.

"Check the body for the registration tag," Minister Minchum ordered sharply.

The guards took turns checking, the others keeping a wand at ready as protocol dictated.

"Nothing, Minister Minchum."

"I _know_ that face," Minchum said, his eyes narrowing. " _That_ is Rita Skeeter from the Daily Prophet."

The revealed Animagus moaned in pain, even while her body was frozen in place.

"Get me an owl. I need to get the Aurors here immediately."

People were gathering, gawking and whispering.

"I have one you can borrow," the shopkeep from Eeylops said. "Persephone's fast and reliable."

"Thank you, Barnabas," the Minister said, tying a message to the owl's foot.

The owl took off towards the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at top speed.

Artemis watched it go, tail lashing, still a bit perturbed over being dropped during the revelation of a snack that turned into a not-so-snack. _Was that normal? Do all beetles turn into people if you don't eat them fast enough?_

Ari's tail swished back and forth like a metronome.

 _ **Crack.**_

 _ **CRACK**_ cracka _ **CRACK!**_

Aurors apparated in one after the other in a raucous flood; swarming the area in brown robes, brandishing wands, and barking orders.

Foop!

Artemis disappeared.

Severus and Regulus began to wonder if they'd _ever_ get to their dinner destination.

* * *

Severus chuckled as Ari sat in the booth between himself and Regulus, a bib tied neatly around her neck as she patiently waited for her dinner. There had been plenty of coins left after their shopping with enough to have their things hauled up to Hogwarts for them, tip their assistants, go through all their fittings and them some, get official supplies for Ari, and still have substantial coin to spare.

After investing most of it back in their new joint account at Gringotts, they still had enough for that meal they were promised at The Silver Phorminx.

The Silver Phorminx, which Regulus swore was just some drunk trying to spell Phoenix and failing utterly, was validated when the waiter told them the place was originally called The Silver Lyre until some drunken wizard enchanted the sign with some strange Greek "fancy pantsy" spell.

Regulus was still convinced it was supposed to be a phoenix, despite the musical instrument trend in restaurant names. Severus decided to let it go before Regulus started throwing random vegetables at him.

Their waiter was totally enraptured by the gryphlet's impeccable manners at the dinner table, stating that there were witches and wizards with far worse manners coming right through the door.

There were familiars and other animal partners at all the tables. Some people were studying papers while eating, their familiars either perched or laying nearby. Each of the stalls were completely cleaned after each patron left, keeping the restaurant utterly immaculate despite the many feathered and furred patrons.

When the food arrived, Regulus dove into his seared duck breasts with Beaujolais plum sauce like it was the last bit of poultry on Earth. Severus slowly savoured his roasted pork tenderloin with pears and ginger, and Ari actually took her sweet time pulling every bit of rich flavour from her braised short ribs with forest mushrooms. She pecked at the slippery mushrooms with her beak, almost pelting Regulus in the eye with one of them. She contrived to look busy so it looked like it wasn't _really_ her fault, but Regulus was onto her mischief by now.

Dessert was a delectable flourless chocolate truffle cake, at least it was for Regulus and Severus. Artemis scored a sumptuous vanilla chai gelato from the special case where she could go up to the counter and point her beak at the one she wanted.

The way she was blissfully licking her beak, it was almost as if she was trying to get every last molecule of her dining experience into her stomach.

The waiter brought her a hollowed out gelato-stuffed bone for her to take with her, specially enchanted not to melt. Ari thanked the waiter with her adorable magic, getting pets and wing rubs as well as making everyone in the restaurant jealous of the waiter—ensuring that he would be the talk of the night after they left.

When they were finished, left their tip (Ari left a colourful pin feather that she had itched off her head), and walked to the doors, they found Deputy Headmistress McGonagall waiting for them with a welcoming smile.

"Hello, lads. I'm here to take ye back safely. I even have the special Apparate pass for you."

"But you can't Apparate to or out of Hogwarts," Regulus protested.

"You can, if you have the pass," Minerva replied with a smile. "Did you have a good dinner?"

They nodded to her. "The food and service were excellent."

"I haven't been there in ages, not that I haven't wanted to. Their chocolate truffle cake is _sublime_."

Regulus elbowed Severus in the ribs.

Severus thrust the small takeaway box into the teacher's hands. "This is for you, Professor."

Ari pecked his rump sharply.

"It's from Artemis!" Severus added, rubbing his sore bum.

Minerva's face brightened. "Well, aren't you all such dears. Thank you, Ari, Mr Snape, Mr Black. Albus will be _so_ jealous."

They smiled back at her.

"Well, take my arms, gentlemen. Artemis, you can stand on my feet."

Ari looked a bit skeptical, but she obediently stood on the witch's feet.

 _ **Crack!**_

They disappeared.

* * *

 _ **The Daily Prophet Shut Down For Ministry Investigation:**_

 _ **Spying, Bribery, and Scandal, Oh My!**_

 _Unregistered animagus and agent of the infamous Daily Prophet, Rita Skeeter has been arrested and charged with multiple accounts of illegal activity including: spying, bribery, theft, trespassing, and more. Officials have been scrambling to figure out where_ else _Rita Skeeter has been after having caught her spying directly on none other than our Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum!_

 _The Wizengamot has ordered the use of Veritaserum over the course of a week's interrogation with the medically required breaks in between as to not permanently damage Skeeter's mind._

 _Minister Minchum has also authorised extensive background checks on all Prophet employees, the collection of banking information, and the review of paperwork on file confirming the authenticity of stories featured in The Daily Prophet, shutting down the paper until their legal or illegal activities are confirmed._

 _While the owner of the Prophet has sworn vehemently that he had no idea Ms Skeeter was an Animagus, let alone an illegal one, whistleblowers from the Prophet have come forward to expose a don't-ask-won't-tell policy on getting the most calumnious stories for the increased sales of the paper and high profits for the owner._

 _Recovered memos threatening jobs if "something meaty" doesn't hit the editor's desk by crunch time has painted a very grim picture of the notorious paper's inner workings. Scores of abused and underfed owls have been found in an owlery with owl pellets stacked to the knees. Filing cabinets full of stories "too bland to publish" filled the dark basement along with records of pink slips to those who weren't creating articles designed to move papers._

 _Even more damning evidence, files upon files labeled "bribe-worthy dirt" have been discovered hidden deep within the paper's vaults. Most of it was clearly gathered and penned by the distinctive quill of one Rita Skeeter._

 _As for the fate of Rita Skeeter herself, she is facing over ten years in Azkaban, at least one for every single confirmed year she has been an unregistered Animagus beetle, not including how many additional years she may serve for the multitude of other charges, including criminal trespass, and however many counts of blackmail and bribery that are still waiting to be processed._

 _Aurors are asking anyone who may have been blackmailed by Rita Skeeter, or anyone who knows someone who may have been unduly influenced by her, to report it to Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for investigation immediately._

* * *

"I think he's glaring at us," Regulus whispered to Severus.

Severus looked up to the head table and stared Hagrid directly in his beetle-black eyes. Severus' own dark eyes sank into the eerie, fathomless black of the Abyss. Years of relentless torture had honed his wrath into wall of fury, and that fury he had shaped into a nigh-impenetrable shield.

His experience and humiliation at the tree and the subsequent spurning of his only childhood friend had done the rest. In this place, buried deep within his own psyche, there was no emotion, no jibe that could rattle him, no bait that would lure him.

He was _stone_.

Suddenly, his gaze was broken as the Deputy Headmistress herded Hagrid out of the Great Hall, and all the students whispered as the Headmaster himself rose and excused himself, following behind them.

They all knew what _that_ meant.

Somehow, Hagrid was in trouble.

Artemis laid her head in Snape's lap from under the table and chirred.

Severus' stone gaze softened as he rubbed her feathers under her chin.

* * *

" _ **That's me gryphon!"**_ Hagrid bellowed. " _ **They 'aff no right to steal him from me!"**_

"Rubeus, I told you that there was a good chance that if the egg hatched that it could and would attach to someone soon after. It's been months since you 'lost' this egg, and the gryphlet has solidly, magically, and legally attached itself to Mr Snape-and to some extent Mr Black as well."

"Well you're da Headmaster, sir. You can tell em to give what's mine back!" Hagrid declared stubbornly.

"Hagrid, if you knew half of what you think you know about gryphons, then you'd know that is simply not possible. Once a gryphlet is bonded to its family unit, it cannot be broken."

"But he's mah gryphon!"

The headmaster frowned. "Hagrid, did you even bother to notice that the gryphlet is a _she_?"

Hagrid blinked at that. "Well, I admit I didn't take that close a look—"

"Rubeus, why did you _really_ want a male gryphon, hrm?" The headmaster looked at the half-giant with a stern knitting of his eyebrows.

"Well, I er… I was going to train 'im up. ya see. Be all strong and protect Hogwarts. Breed him to my manticores. Get a nice stinger on the tail—"

Minerva looked about ready to explode. "You'd illegally breed two highly dangerous creatures together, purposely making them far more aggressive, more apt to fight, and then release them in a school where _children_ are trying to learn how not to make stupid mistakes?!"

Dumbledore raised a restraining hand to Minerva, who looked like she was about to shift to her tabby form and tear the half-giant to bloody, screaming shreds, and she grit her teeth.

"Rubeus, I have told you a great many times already: No more extra animals or beasts but the ones we have here at Hogwarts for the purpose of helping the school."

"But they would be a 'elp to the school, they would!"

"I will hear no more," Dumbledore said sternly, spearing Hagrid with his piercing blue eyes. "No more new beasts. No old beasts come to visit. No breeding of anything without asking first. I don't care if you want to breed a sheep, you have to come and ask me for permission. I don't want to see anything other than thestrals, a giant squid, chickens, owls, familiars, authorised service companions, and the occasional hippogriff here at the school. As it is, I'm being forced to do something about the Acromantula problem before the centaurs break the peace treaty due to our inability to follow our own part in it."

"What? _**NO!**_ Aragog has a _**right**_ to live just as much as anybody!"

"If it was just Aragog, this would not be as serious of an issue, Rubeus," Dumbledore said. "But you brought him in a mate and they have taken over part of the forest that was specifically set aside for the centaur. As it is, we cannot let the children into the forest with or without supervision because of their presence. We've had reports of them getting into Hogsmeade and the Muggle areas too, which is just asking for trouble. I'm sorry, Hagrid, but I must do something. The Acromantulas must be removed by whatever means the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures deems necessary."

" _ **No! I won't let you kill me friends!"**_ Hagrid stood up and stormed out of the office, running back to his hut.

Albus slowly beat his head against his desk, agitating the licorice snaps that were resting in the nearby bowl. They all jumped out of the bowl and started attacking his beard.

The headmaster sighed and simply ate the temperamental confectionery offenders. "I honestly don't know what to do about him, Minerva. He's a good person, but sometimes—"

"He's going to hurt someone, Albus," Minerva said. "He won't mean to. He never does, but until he realises exactly how dangerous something can be, he won't listen."

"He's probably going to try to evacuate the Acromantulas tonight before the Ministry exterminators can get to them." Albus sighed, rubbing his temples. "I may have to seal the grounds off tonight using the school's wards. Could you send word to Magorian that it's temporary? I'll have to work fast before Hagrid can get to the forest. I'll meet you at the gates to let you in after the wards are up."

Minerva nodded and dashed out the door in her feline form as Albus pulled out his wand, closed his eyes, and set to work.

* * *

Regulus and Severus' human ears seemed to visibly twitch as they heard Hagrid's echoing yells. The foals shuddered and huddled close to the adults, their own ears pressed back into their manes. A little spotted filly clung to both boys, shivering, ears plastered back to her head and little bottle brush tail flicking wildly as she danced agitatedly on her front hooves.

"Aragog!"

The Forest went silent as the yell resounded closer.

"Aragog! You gotta move! They're comin' to destroy ye!"

The herd listened closely, alert and growing angry.

"I can't—damnit—I can't get in to help ye!"

The half-giant was louder than usual, frantic even.

Both young wizards shook their heads, soothing the little centaur by combing her mane and withers with their hands.

"Does he have to be such a loud and inconsiderate jerk?" Regulus asked with a scowl twisting his mouth.

"Does the sun rise and set?" Severus answered.

Regulus grunted, turning to the spit in front of him where they were carving pieces off a giant spider carcass roasting over the fire.

"You know, if people realised these things tasted like snow crab of the highest quality, these spiders would probably be endangered." Regulus smiled as the entire herd nodded their heads while enjoying mouthfuls of sweet spider sustenance. "You don't even need drawn butter for this stuff."

"It's no wonder She-Who-Pounces loves it so much," Magorian said with a smile. "The mighty hunter doesn't mind sharing."

"At least now we know we can hunt them as food until they are whittled down to nothing," Bane said. "After today's hunt, the dried meat will keep us through the entire winter and beyond, even if we don't catch more.

Severus and Regulus, who had been ceremoniously stripped of their upper robes and rune-marked in earthen paint, couldn't help but smile at the irony that they had earned their hunter and "adult" status amongst the centaurs while simultaneously culling the Acromantulas for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

The "official" crews from the Beings Division (combined with, of course, a Pest Advisory Board Representative) would come in later and clean out the nests to make sure there were no remaining eggs, but they wouldn't even see the centaurs. The centaurs had seen that their camp and trails had been obliterated from view so there would be no accidental confrontations. The centaur had no desire to move their winter camp after having worked so hard to make it perfect; despite the fact that they could successfully do so, if pressed.

As members of the herd, the pair (trio if you counted She-Who-Pounces) enjoyed the freedom to come and go from the forest and sleep under the stars if they so decided. Regulus, oddly enough considering his aristocratic heritage, took to it easily and even with unmistakable enthusiasm, perhaps because his inner jaguar loved the forest or perhaps because it was so easy to find comfort in such closeness with others as a part of greater whole. The centaur shared everything, unlike most of human society, making sure their elders were fed and cared for, children protected, and everyone was provided for. It was a distinct change from 'cold-blooded pureblood politics', as Regulus called it.

Severus, if he only admitted it to himself, enjoyed the comfort of such freely given warmth of touch. Centaurs were always touching each other for the comfort of their presence. His family hadn't been anything like _this_ —not since he was a very young child. Not since his father had finally found out he was a freak just like his mother…

Artemis made it seem so easy, bounding from one warm hand to another, soaking up rubs and kindness like it was her job. Underneath, she was always the dangerous predator, but she was also the beating heart of their newfound trio. Maybe it was her youthful exuberance, her undeniable cuteness, or her fierce pulse of life, but none of them were truly sure what made her so special. Perhaps, they wondered, all gryphons were like this-but most people never got to see it because they wanted them as personal possessions, guardians for their treasure, or even feared them because they were _monsters_.

Regulus said that she was Severus' bridge to emotion—something other than anger, rage, and the fifty shades of fury that had been simmering under his skin since he had first met Sirius Black and James Potter on the Hogwarts Express so many years ago.

 _Maybe_ , Snape thought, _Regulus wasn't entirely wrong._

The truth was, had it not been for Artemis, the war against the Marauders would have still been going on—they and their map and their tracking of every living thing in Hogwarts.

 _And I'd either be dead or a werewolf or something_ , Snape figured. Something actually worse than being strung upside down with his pants showing—admittedly both scenarios seemed equally mortifying.

Snape didn't feel the same bottomless well of bitterness now that his remorseless tormentors had at last been brought to justice. The Wizengamot seemed to believe, from viewing his memories as well as theirs, that while he had dished out some pretty borderline spells at his attackers, he was only one person. They had been a veritable gang run rampant.

He had avoided (or tried to avoid) confrontation only to be cornered and tormented, never allowing him to forget his grudge or let it go.

"Does your father ever say much about Sirius' being forced to attend classes and therapy in that secure facility, Saint Dymphna's?" Snape asked, curious.

"I think father is so done with my brother after he covered up the hundreds of years worth of priceless murals on his walls with loads of distasteful Muggle posters. Sirius used permanent sticking charms on them too. Now, we can't remove them without stripping the murals along with them. He could have used a sticking charm without the permanence…"

"But he didn't. On purpose, undoubtedly."

"Yes," Regulus answered. "Did you know he charmed an ever-sucking hole into a wall in our entrance hall in a fit of rage? Mother had to throw her own portrait over it with a permanent sticking charm just to keep it from sucking the entire house into Purgatory."

Snape blinked. "You can't be telling the truth."

"Unfortunately, I am," Regulus sighed.

"Sadly, I think he's better off at the secured facility, with other unstable magical youth or not," Severus said. "Maybe they can beat some sense into his thickened skull."

Regulus frowned. "I dunno. Some members of the Black family are crazy talented but also seriously crazy in the head to go along with it. My cousin Bellatrix being one fine example of batshite crazy. Mum has her tirades, I'll give you that, but she never plots the murder of our Muggle neighbours. She just wants them to mind their business and let her mind her own. If you believe my brother, all she does is spout venom and bigotry at the dinner table and beat our house elves silly. That was more my brother's thing."

"Spouting venom and bigotry?"

"Beating the house elves."

Severus raised a brow.

"Personally, I think my brother has spent so much time trying to justify not being like the rest of the House of Black that he created his own mental world where he's the king and lord of his own domain. I'm not even sure if he realises that when mum did lose it, most of the time it was because of him being a right prick to her face. I mean—she's our mother. Merlin knows she's not perfect, but no parents are. Father is hardly a rabid Muggle hater, but if you listened to my brother? Hah! You'd think the entire family was dipped in Darkness just for being born a Black. 'Cept _him_ , of course. He's all candied roses and summer sunshine."

Severus spit out some of his tea, glowering at Regulus.

Regulus gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, mate." Regulus then looked thoughtful. "Bellatrix, however, is a real piece of work. She's mental on the side of murdering psychopath. She's _never_ been right in the head. Cygnus' branch of the Black family has been rather dysfunctional, so much so that father has forbidden us to socialise with them. Well, that, of course, sent my brother into their good graces for a number of years. Father suspects that he and Bellatrix were maybe a bit _too_ close. He forbid Sirius from seeing Bellatrix anymore, and that, well, didn't exactly stop him. Precisely the opposite, in fact."

"Father had to ward the house to be unplottable and untraceable… gods... Un- _everything_ , just so Bellatrix couldn't show up starkers in our sitting room rubbing herself with a dead Kneazle."

" _ **WHAT?!"**_

"So maybe she's more than just a little messed up, Severus."

"I could have gone my entire life having never heard that last part."

"Sorry. Sadly, that was actually pretty tame for her."

Snape twitched.

"If I look back—Sirius started getting really bad after Father warded the house. He got even worse when Bellatrix was married off to Rodolphus Lestrange. I kind of feel bad for the poor bloke. He married into some serious crazy there."

Artemis broke the conversation by dropping a freshly cooked Acromantula leg into Regulus' lap.

Regulus yelped, doing a superheated save-my-dangly-bits dance.

Severus, slyly, praised her by petting her all over and slipping her a piece of her favourite venison jerky. Even surrounded with decadent spider flesh, she loved it to pieces.

Ari, ever the observant one, visibly radiated pride in all of her accomplishments, even if they _were_ at Regulus' expense.

As the elders began to tell their stories by the fire, both young wizards let sleep come. They nestled deep into the warm furs and one cozy, cuddly gryphlet.

… and one little filly named Sweetgrass who simply refused to leave their sides.

* * *

The celebratory party at the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was a strangely happy affair—far more uplifting than Severus had been thinking it would be as a traditional pureblood celebration. He realised that he'd allowed Sirius' outspoken rants about his family to colour his expectations, despite having known Regulus as a far more outstanding and honourable example of the Black family.

An elegant supper was served in the garden—on a long table set out with flowers, candles and charmed sensors lit to both light and drive away the biting insects. High-ranking officials from all corners of Britain and beyond chatted together, toasting not only Regulus but _Severus_ as well. Equally, if not more honoured, was one highly lavished upon gryphlet.

Artemis walked around, hugging Snape's leg at first as she peeked out from around his leg and the abused, manky old boots that barely fit him—the one thing they hadn't been sized for in uniforms and he didn't think to replace until he was far away from a cobbler.

"Ah, before we indulge in the excellent meal that our Kreacher has insisted on making for the occasion, I wish to bestow the gifts that many of us have helped gather for our honoured guests—a traditional gift to new apprentice so that they may walk the path of their masters to both maturity and mastery."

Orion Black, a broad-shouldered wizard who seemed to stand taller than life, gave a silk-wrapped bundle to both Regulus and Severus. All the guests waited with bated breath as they watched. Orion gave Artemis a package of her own, carefully wrapped so a small tug of her beak would open it for her.

Artemis' deft beak quickly freed her prize to expose specially crafted pseudo-jesses, expertly made of dragonhide to both pad and protect her front talons from damage. They had the added style of wrapping up the legs with fine crystal beads. The inside was lined with fine, soft sheepskin, all of it secured to her legs with the ceremonial tether-like jesses that were more about show than practicality. Who, in their right mind, would attempt to call a gryphon to land on their arm, after all?

Artemis purred and chirped happily as Severus put her new "booties" on, seeming to revel in the sheer newness of it. They had delicate goblin silver bells that gave a pleasing chime when she was on the ground, but when she took off with some experimental beats of her wings, they were utterly silent. She took one foreleg and shook it, making sound. Then, she'd switch to the other. The sound pleased her, and she bounded around the garden making soft tinkling chimes.

As Severus opened up his gift, his hand hesitated over the finest pair of black dragonhide boots he'd ever seen—calf length, the hide strong and supple. The seal of the master craftsman was embossed into the shaft of the boot, ornately merged into the delicate patterns pressed into the softer hide where the scales didn't start.

Severus looked up at his host. "These are magnificent. I cannot thank you enough," he said, bowing his head.

"Well, put them on, son," Orion said encouragingly. "They were made for wearing."

Regulus had already given a whoop of pleasure as he slid his boots on, and he bowed his head in respect. "Thank you all for this most grand and gracious gift."

One jingling gryphlet bounced around in crazy circles and then sat down in front of Orion, looking up at him with adoration.

The elder Black picked her up by the forelegs and let her drape over his shoulder. She settled in like a gryphon stole, her forelegs dangling over his shoulder while her hind legs flopped across his chest. "My friends, family, be welcome at our celebration of Regulus and Severus' apprenticeship with the esteemed Masters Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker to train as both gryphon partners and a search and rescue team. I cannot be more proud. Thank you for coming and partaking of this celebration." Orion lowered his register into a more conspiratorial voice. "Though, I think his mother is just happy he's not trying to be a hit wizard."

Walburga sputtered behind her glass of wine as the guests laughed. They all toasted together and cheered.

As the serving platters were exposed, the guests were treated to herb-crusted beef tenderloin, pan-seared scallops with fresh beet relish, pheasant with roasted apples, creamy spinach gratin, wild rice pilaf, and roasted autumn fruits. Desserts awaited the quick eaters: lemon and chocolate roulade, ginger pots de creme and fragrant rose cardamom biscuits. For Artemis, an enormous plank of honey-glazed salmon was placed on her plate of honour, and the young gryphlet's eyes looked wide with anticipation.

Everyone seemed more than happy to enjoy both the meal and the fine company, and the two young wizards (while they didn't know it then) were making many key contacts for their future. Ari, too, was getting a beak full of new scents and people as well as the appreciated head scratch to her itchy head of feathers.

Just as Ambassador Lazarov was petting Ari's head, she disappeared. The foreign dignitary looked around in confusion just as a wild-eyed witch hopped down from the garden fence.

"Haven't used the back garden in a long time, have you, dear Uncle?" the witch cooed, placing her wand tip to her mouth in a pout. "Seems my darling managed to leave the old trysting spot free of wards—we never needed much space, after all."

Collective gasps of horror at the witch's social depravity filtered through the guests.

"You are not welcome here, Bellatrix. Leave at once."

"Does widdle Uncle Orion want to deny his own family the opportunity to bless this event? How rude of you not to remember the very best of the pureblood world."

"The very best of this family do not bring shame and disgrace to our family or our homes by defiling them with your degenerate behaviour and blood-soaked sadistic proclivities."

Bellatrix, for a moment, looked angry, but then her expression changed to a twisted, mocking smile.

"I don't think I _like_ you anymore, Uncle," she pouted in a babyish sing-song voice. Bellatrix giggled insanely and aimed her wand at Orion's chest. "You're going to die uncelebrated and unworthy of the noble name of Black. You and of all your widdle friends." She jutted her chin insolently at Severus. "Especially when you invite the likes of _him_ to your table."

Orion's lips curved into a smile causing Bellatrix to frown. That was _not_ the reaction she had hoped for.

"What?! Why aren't you grovelling?!"

"My dear friends and family. Shall we show our uninvited guest why the friends and family of this sect of the Black family do not grovel?"

Eyes glowed around the table as family, friends, and honoured guests transformed into various snarling, menacing creatures, some natural and some most decidedly _not_.

Orion rose, cracking his neck(s) as multiple draconic heads of the infamous hydra rose at the head of the table and roared as his lady wife, Walburga, rose up beside him, a female torso of infinite beauty on the body of a serpent. She pulled down her carefully covered hair, and her tresses moved, writhed, and hissed threateningly.

 _ **Hissssssssssss!**_

Kerthwa _ **SNAP!**_

Bellatrix stared in shock at her stump of a wand hand as the defiant Artemis relieved her of her wand, hand, and wrist even as she looked Walburga too long in the eye and her entire body turned to stone.

Walburga immediately veiled her face, pulling her "hair" back as her form changed back into the smaller, non-petrifying form most people were used to.

"You always wanted a fountain statuary, my lady wife," Orion smoothed, having returned to his human form. He bowed and placed a chaste kiss upon her knuckles.

As the guests all returned to their human forms, Orion raised his glass. "To our valiant young gryphoness, our newest and most welcome additions to our unique family, and to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, guardians of the old ways, old places, and oldest secrets."

"Here, here," the guests saluted.

Severus stared down at the disembodied hand, still clutching a crooked walnut wand in its stiffening fingers.

"Welcome to the _real_ House of Black, Severus," Orion said, lifting his glass to him.

Severus swallowed hard. "Thank you, sir."

Orion belted out baritone laughter.

It was only then that Severus saw the once-hidden signet rings of the House of Black on every attendee of the celebration.

They were _all_ of the House of Black.

Every single one of them.

Regulus ribbed him, pointing to the table.

Severus looked down. He opened the small lacquered box to expose a goblin forged signet ring with the seal of the House of Black on it.

Good gods above.

He'd been adopted.

 _ **Chirrr!**_

Artemis pranced around, and Severus noticed the distinctive ring around one talon. She bounced, jingled, and frolicked, soaking up even more pets and praise for her dutiful defence of her friends via the severing of one rotting hand of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Severus suddenly suppressed a spit-take of his tea as he had another sudden epiphany: Sirius Black was going to have a bloody aneurysm, and he was going to enjoy every last minute of it.

He placed the signet ring upon his pinky finger— the traditional seat of the signet seal. A warm rush of magic shuddered through him, singing through his blood. The signet ring shuddered and engulfed the other ring he had, transforming before his eyes to incorporate the crest of the House of Black with his apprenticeship mark.

Damn, if magic wasn't bloody _wonderful_.

* * *

"So—is that why the Black family is known for—"

"Incest?" Orion said, laughing aloud. "Yes, my son. It is. Not all that are of the House of Black are related via blood. We are, however, related under the same crest. Long ago, a member of the House of Black spurned the old ways, seeking to keep the line pure, and in so doing renounced the oldest ways of our family: to take the form of the great beast that lay within our hearts. We call each other brother, son, uncle, but only some of us are related as Regulus is to myself and Walburga—and my unfortunate Sirius, who has been seemingly driven mad by his early infatuation with his cousin, Bellatrix."

"Walburga is technically a Black and my cousin, but she is not related in blood. That might be obvious now that you've seen her true form—but few know this outside of family. You, in the future, may find someone within the House of Black in which to marry—outsiders will still, of course, think we are promoting pureblood lines by marrying inside our family, but you will know the truth, yes? Our true family secret."

"And I thought this was just going to be a celebration because we didn't kill ourselves during our first shift."

"It was all that and more."

Severus boggled at Orion Black's laid back demeanor. He wasn't at all what he'd expected, but when he asked himself what he _had_ expected he drew a complete blank.

Orion placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly. "Welcome to the family, Severus. I am sure that you and Regulus will bring honour to our name in all the ways that truly matter."

"I will strive to," Severus said, straightening his shoulders resolutely.

"I have no doubt you will succeed if that is what you truly desire," Orion said. "Come, share drinks with your family before you return to Hogwarts. Our Greek cousin makes a most glorious wine in the tradition of Dionysus. It is said drinking it causes the angels to weep. I am not sure if that last part is true, but it is an experience not to be missed."

Severus smiled and nodded. "I shall then."

"Excellent."

 _ **Chirrr!**_

Ari was prancing around on a brand-new water fountain in the middle of the garden: a very familiar-looking female gargoyle with one missing paw was spewing turquoise water into a huge stone basin filled with colourful koi.

Severus couldn't help laughing out loud.

It was all _her_ fault, after all.

* * *

Ari perched on the open window of a rather sterile-looking building. She wrinkled her face, using her talons to swipe at her beak as if to rid herself of the cloying antiseptic smell.

The room she climbed into, however, reeked of old pish, cheap booze, tobacco smoke and stale crisps. Oddly, the room itself was disturbingly clean, almost sterile.

On one of the nearby bunks, a familiar toss of wavy black hair told her she had found the one she had been tracking. She laid the scroll down on top of his bed, careful not to touch it.

Eugh.

He _stank_.

He really, _really_ stank.

She fought the urge to sneeze as she rubbed her beak almost frantically against her jesses, trying to obliterate the lingering stench of debauchery.

Well, someone was obviously not taking their rehabilitation seriously.

She bumped into a small wooden shelf that had been holding a small oil lamp, but her moving it had jostled the lantern, toppling it off the shelf. She immediately snatched it up with her beak, freezing as she waited for someone to wake and then relaxed when they didn't. She carefully manoeuvred the lantern back onto the shelf.

Phew.

Click.

 _What?_

Curious gryphlet won out over previous caution and she found a loose plank in the floor where one of the rugs had begun a strange droop. She used her paw to move the rug and found the motherlode of contraband items such as Muggle alcohol, magazines with unclothed women on the cover, magazines with unclothed men on the cover, greasy crisps, things that were supposed to be food but smelled positively _awful_ , mouldy things that might have been food in a previous life, and a hidden stash of spare wands.

Oh ho, so _this_ was how these bungle-monkeys were partying drunk and getting away with it.

Well, Regulus had said that he wanted his brother to succeed in his schooling. Most assuredly _this_ stuff wasn't going to help anyone succeed in anything but inebriation and… well, whatever those disgusting magazines were about.

Severus and Regulus had magazines all over, but they involved potions and search and rescue techniques with the occasional Arithmancy focus (which she secretly stole and stashed in her private horde of light reading material).

She _liked_ learning, after all.

Why not?

Regulus wasn't using it except to toss it in the corner.

She eyed the stash full of contraband and scratched her head with her foot.

She might as well help them be better at school. She focused really hard, her tail standing straight up and quivering.

All of their secret stash began to float and drift out the window in a silent parade of contraband—directly into the Headmaster's office.

She thumped the panel back into place, pulled the rug back over it, and then vanished into thin air with a soft _FOOP_.

* * *

"What do you _**mean**_ it's all gone!"

"It's all gone!"

" _ **How!**_ You _**said**_ no one could break that ward but another Black!"

"They c _ **ouldn't**_! You saw what it did to Blishwick!"

"So _**you**_ did it!"

" _ **No, I didn't!**_ "

"Well if _**you**_ didn't do it, then who the hell _**did?!**_ "

There was a horrible grinding noise as the gate to the bunk room opened. Headmaster Willoughby stood in the doorway, his face seemingly permanently wrinkled.

"I want you lot in my office, now, where we will discuss your punishment."

" _ **Punishment?**_ For _**what?!"**_

The Headmaster crossed his arms. "I found your stash of filthy magazines and various highly alcoholic beverages, for starters," he said.

"You sodding _**arse!**_ You _**said**_ only a Black could open that—"

" _ **SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ Sirius hushed, but it was already too late.

Headmaster Willoughby's smile was victorious. "Thank you for your confirmation, gentlemen. March to my office. _Now._ "

The boys skulked their way out of the room and down the hall to the Headmaster's office.

The unopened scroll on Sirius' bed quietly turned to ash.

* * *

"Where have you been, Artemis?" Severus asked as the cuddly gryphlet curled up in his lap and wedged her head under his hand.

Purring and a look of supreme self-satisfaction was his only reply.

"You're _such_ a cat," he muttered, snuggling into the warm gryphlet.

Her leonine tail swished lazily with utter contentment as he cuddled her close.

* * *

Ari decided that she loved the giant squid. His limbs were rubbery and chasing them was great fun. Sometimes he'd throw her a giant catfish from the depths, and she adored him for that too.

As she paddled around in the lake, the squid would amuse itself by splashing at her. She, in turn, would chase after his tentacles and play-bite at it—never too hard because hurting your playmate was _really_ bad manners.

Softhands and Fluffhead were off doing Softhands and Fluffhead things. Classes. Writing. Studying.

Boring!

It was almost as if she already knew it, and why study the stuff that was already rolling around in her skull? Arithmancy was always changing. Time, numbers, odds, predictions—like water in the great seas, always shifting, always flowing to new places. She _liked_ Arithmancy. It was even cooler that she could read.

She didn't question it. She figured everyone could read. Everyone seemed to be reading all the time. Softhands could read. Fluffhead read too. It _must_ be an innate ability—right?

She bounce-jingled along the shore, taking off and landing and taking off again, practicing her launches and landings over and over. She was getting faster and faster, and the speed made her happy as the wind whistled around her.

FOOP!

Noises along the shore caught her attention and she immediately cloaked herself. She froze in place, ear tufts twitching. Her tail puffed as she waited for the noise to leave and she slowly walked along the shore, her pawprints filling with water as she moved silently across the sand.

A frog caught her attention and she chased after it.

 _Come back!_

 _I don't want to hurt you!_

 _I just want to see how chewy you are!_

An eagle owl swooped in and snatched up her frog, carrying its prey off to the owlery for supper.

Ari sat down and sulked and tapped her foretalons on the ground. She perked her head as she heard the last class bell ring, and she promptly tore off in the direction of the school to meet her people. As she lifted off the ground in a full run, she slammed into some sort of invisible net that stretched and tangled her talons, wings, and legs. She slammed into the ground head first, tumbled beak over tail, and then everything went black.

* * *

Severus and Regulus frowned in unison as they weren't immediately pounced by a happy gryphlet upon reaching the green. Artemis was highly independent but she was also like a clockwork chime. There were certain things she _always_ did, and one of them was be waiting for them on the green after their Muggle studies class.

They rushed up to the top of the hill before it dipped down towards the lake.

No pounce.

No _gryphlet_.

Panic swirling in their stomachs, they rushed across the green searching desperately for Artemis. They stopped when they reached her pawprints and saw that they ended abruptly in a strange sort of hopping skid.

Severus placed his hand over the prints, his fingers slightly splayed to reach across the marks. His brows furrowed. "I think she was running normally, but—this mess here." He gestured to the skid indicating a body slide, a few feathers scattered in the sand as well as a few drags indicating she'd tried to stabilize herself with her claws and talons.

Regulus bared his teeth as his body shifted into his jaguar form. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a vicious snarl as Severus quickly joined him. Together they grimaced, drawing scent to the back of their mouths to allow their scent glands to assist them in identification.

Regulus, his jaguar senses more highly attuned to scent, tore off in a precise direction, and Severus followed at top speed. They bounded off across the green at full tilt, jerking sharply as they changed directions, barrelling through the grass like a runaway Muggle lawnmower.

As they ran, they allowed their animal instincts to flow freely, pushing beyond human thoughts and then able to go faster. They fell in together, pulling on the working bond between them, their partnership shifting from human to beast, tying them together even more strongly as herd even though they should be something else. They moved into forest smoothly, not even hesitating, their senses tuned to the earth, the trees, the entire _environment_. They had become hunters for the herd, and this was their home. Their shift from human to beast, however, had become as fluid as breathing.

They ploughed through the trail towards Ari's scent—closer, _closer_.

The trail was leaving the woods and the territory of the herd. The stench of Muggle humans started to taint the air with the scent of petrol and other un-wizardly and unnatural things.

They scented Artemis more clearly now, as well as the bitter tang of some sort of potion.

Severus took the air with a shriek of rage, Regulus not very far behind him—

… only they ended up staring at the gaping maws of an extremely irate Orion Black as one, two, three and _more_ jaws flung Hagrid headlong into a nearby shed.

Orion took on his human form—no less intimidating as black fire seemed to leak from his eyes. "I, head of the Ancient and most Noble House of Black, call you out, Rubeus Hagrid, for the harm you have done to a member of _my_ treasured family with your continual disrespect."

He flicked his wand, and another of the sheds exploded outward to expose Artemis' unconscious and drugged form collapsed in the dirt on the foundation. "You would hold a gryphon against its will? You would take her from her trusted partners? You would deliberately injure my House by sending my sons into a panic? You would force a drug on an innocent youngling of any species? I give you one week to meet me in a duel, Rubeus Hagrid. We _will_ settle this matter one man to another, on the Ministry dueling platforms or so help me, I will meet you as a beast and tear you apart with my own teeth."

Orion's body was shaking with fury. "And if you have harmed my feathered daughter in any way that lingers, I will personally introduce you to my… dear niece, Bellatrix Lestrange, that you may commiserate together in eternal misery."

Aurors cracked in with hastily loud apparates, having been summoned to the scene by the challenge to a duel through the Ancient Magics.

"Given confirmation of the Dueling Oath under magic, we must ask that all hostilities cease until the day when the two parties meet one week from now on the Ministry dueling platform."

Severus and Regulus were kneeling by Ari's still form, trying to gently coax her back to wakefulness. She startled awake with a screech, eyes wide.

"It's us, Ari. You're safe," Regulus said softly.

Snape said nothing, but his fingers splayed out to provide his familiar scent to her flaring nostrils. The gryphlet let out a plaintive chirp and crawled weakly into his lap in as much a hurry as she could manage, trying to bury herself like a tick into his robes. Once there, she tolerated only Severus' and Regulus' hands upon her—and then Orion's when he approached. She pecked at all others, hissing with her beak open in unmistakable threat.

Suddenly, she seemed to shrink in on herself and she crawled into Snape's pocket, disappearing from sight except for her tail sticking out the top.

Then that disappeared as well.

Regulus stared. "I didn't know they could do _**that!"**_

Orion stuck his hand into the pocket, and a loud purring came from within. "Oh, I think she'll prove quite full of surprises, my son. She'll probably stay in there for a few days until she's sure she's safe again. Perhaps, you should arrange to stay away from— _humans_ for a while." He gave them both a meaningful look.

"How did you kno—" Regulus sputtered.

"I'm your father, Regulus. I _know_."

Regulus turtled his shoulders and head, looking embarrassed.

"But, I dun even haff a wand!" Hagrid protested to the Aurors. "How am _**I**_ supposed to duel a ruddy wizard!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped out into the clearing after having duly recorded all the events, personnel on scene, and repaired the damaged sheds.

"Obviously a man such as yourself-who was resourceful enough to kidnap a gryphlet in a mist net and drug her with tranquilisers-can come up with _some_ thing," he said darkly.

The mini-gryphlet poked her head out at the sound of Kings' deep, soothing voice. She wriggled out, flopped half in Severus' lap, and reached her talons out towards him with a plaintive keen.

"There's my little lady," Kings gushed, holding out his hands for her to crawl into them.

The mini-gryph practically slithered into his cloak and then hid in his hat with just her leonine tail sticking out.

Orion chuckled. "Well, at least she knows who to trust, Auror Shacklebolt."

Kingsley smiled sheepishly.

Orion closed his eyes. "I'm sure you need my memories to file before the duel. Shall we find someplace away from here? I think that Artemis would greatly appreciate a change in scenery."

Kings nodded. "Yes, that would be most helpful. Lead the way, Lord Black."

* * *

 _ **Wizarding Duel of Honour**_

 _ **This Friday at the Ministry Duelling Platform**_

 _ **Lord Orion Black Issues Challenge to Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid**_

 _In the tradition of the old ways of magic, Lord Orion Black, of the Most Noble and most Ancient House of Black, has challenged Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Gameskeeper of Hogwarts, to a duel of honour for having psychologically traumatised his sons, Regulus Arcturus Black and Severus Snape-Black by drugging and kidnapping a gryphon cub that had chosen to bond to them both._

 _Mr Hagrid, who insists that the young gryphon belongs to him and therefore he was not committing any crime by taking back what was his, has been asked to define the terms of the duel as his right as the challeng-ee._

 _He has chosen the wandless combat option with Lord Black._

 _How this will end remains a complete mystery._

 _Those who wish to learn the answer will find the dueling grounds open promptly at 7 am._

 _The duel itself will commence at 8 am sharp._

* * *

Meanwhile, far away in a private school tucked deep within the Welsh wilderness, Sirius Black let out a piercing scream as he threw the Daily Prophet into the fire.

" _ **THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY MY FATHER ADOPTED SNIVELLUS INTO MY FAMILY!"**_

Sirius was immediately beaten into submission via the pelting of about a hundred different fruits and vegetables from all of the surrounding bunks.

* * *

James Potter sat, oddly quiet and meek-looking, beside his parents. The dueling ground was filled with people of all classes and levels of distinction, all clamoring to see Lord Orion Black take on none other than Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant gamekeeper from Hogwarts.

James just couldn't believe it.

He couldn't believe that the Black family would adopt Snivellus, of all people, and actually defend him using the old ways.

No. _Way_.

There was no way that a noble gryphon, even a very young and ignorant one, would choose a Slytherin— _two_ Slytherin!—as her partners.

Yet—there they were. Regulus and Snivellus, standing side by side with what looked like the entirety of the sizeable Black family.

Gods, their family was bloody _huge_. Why hadn't Sirius ever told him that? From what Sirius had said, short of his cousins on Bellatrix's side, his family was both small and alarmingly mental.

And downright evil.

Slytherin, every one.

And _evil_.

Hagrid was standing on his end of the platform looking pretty confident without his wand, yet Lord Black—

Damn if that man wasn't looking like it was time for tea, not even a hint of sweat to be seen. But was that arrogance or confidence?

There, at Snivellus' feet, was a feathery gryphlet, bouncing around as if it had no care in the world. It played, pounced, gnawed, and tussled with the git's obviously new boots, doing its best to destroy them but to no avail. Snape didn't even seem to _care_. Regulus picked the little beast up and it crawled onto his shoulder and perched there, wings out with one smacking him in the face.

Regulus didn't seem to care either.

"The terms of the duel are as follows," the Master of Ceremonies announced. "Should Rubeus Hagrid win, he will gain custody of the gryphon named Artemis Black, wherein all titles, names, and previous possessions shall be stripped from her. Should Lord Orion Black win, Artemis Black will remain a member in full standing of the House of Black, retain all titles and possessions, and Rubeus Hagrid will publicly renounce all claim upon Artemis Black and be transferred to the Greater Ice Tortoise Preserve in Greenland to work there in servitude for a period of no less than twenty years of duration in compensation for the mental trauma and possible permanent damage that would have occurred if the magical bond between his sons, Regulus and Severus, to the gryphon Artemis had been successfully sundered.

"Should anyone wish to protest or revise these terms, you are requested to do so now before the duel begins. The conditions of the end of the duel are: verbally yielding, unconsciousness, or the death of one or both combatants."

James desperately wanted to stand up and champion Hagrid, but his parents shot him such a seething, withering glare of unmistakable warning that he quickly thought better of it and shrank down in his seat.

When the arena became silent again, the Master of Ceremonies waved for everyone to have a seat as the protective barriers were erected to shield the audience from stray spells—should any be cast without a wand.

"This wandless duel shall begin in five, four, three, two, one!"

Orion stood perfectly still and unmoving—waiting, watching.

Hagrid stormed up to Orion and took a swing.

Orion stood still, looking like he had barely even moved to dodge Hagrid's fists. His lip curled with disgust at the physical altercation.

With each blow missed, Orion's magic seemed to pool and crackle off his body, yet still he did not move more than he had to. Still, he did not fight back.

Hagrid's blows were getting more careless, desperate.

Orion watched him, always just out of reach.

Hagrid huffed. "He was _**mine!**_ I got 'im fair and square!"

Orion's jaw set tightly. " _She_ makes her own choices straight from the egg. Would you be so apt to fight for original possession if our roles were reversed and she had picked you and the one who gave you the egg came back for her?"

"He wouldn'a do that! He gave him to _**me!"**_

"Do you know what would happen if a young gryphon bonded to someone who didn't teach them how to socialise and be around people? If you hoarded her in your little shack and taught her that her only fate was pain and suffering for doing the "wrong" thing? Do you realise what you would have created? A beast who lashed out at everything, knowing no friend and only foes. She would have attacked everything and everyone, becoming the bane of the earth and skies, perhaps even attacking students."

" _ **No!**_ I would train him up! He'd _**defend**_ Hogwarts!"

" _She_ is _already_ defending Hogwarts!" Orion hissed. "Admit that it has nothing to do with an end goal and that you are just hurt that she didn't chose _**YOU!"**_

" _ **No!"**_ He swung again, this time clipping Orion on the chin, sending the smaller man spinning to the side with a crack.

Orion stood up again, blood trickling down his face. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, but as the blood wiped across his skin, his magic level sent a heated wave of power billowing outwards.

"Blood is _power_ , Mr Hagrid, and you have just shed mine, which allows me to use it in whatever way I wish." Orion clenched his fist together as tendrils of power lashed out like whips, and he flung them at Hagrid, wrapping them around his legs and hands and jerking them, taking the half-giant off his feet. The more he struggled, the tighter they became.

Orion's magic, unfettered by wand or focus, poured out from his blood, spreading like a net over Hagrid's body. He walked slowly to where Hagrid was twisted like a pretzel. "Do. You. Yield?"

Hagrid mumbled curses between gasps.

Orion pulled a chair to him with only a gesture. He sat down on it. "By all means, take a moment to ponder your options. I have time." The elder Black's face was an utterly impassive mask as he pulled a book out from his robes and flipped through it idly.

The magical lashes tightened around Hagrid as he continued to struggle.

Hagrid, still refusing to yield, passed out when his inability to breathe pushed him into unconsciousness. The blood ropes relaxed and disappeared as a bell rang out over the dueling platform.

"Lord Orion Black has won the duel. Thank you, Lord Black, for making this a victimless duel. We know you were not obligated to do so. Once Mr Hagrid has been revived, he will have three days to get his affairs in order before being moved to the Greenland Greater Ice Tortoise Sanctuary as stated in the terms of the duel."

One jingling gryphlet bounced and pounced Orion, hopping into his lap and chirring happily, wriggling against him with happy squirms.

Orion snuggled the gryphlet with a warm smile. "You have been avenged, my precious lady." He tenderly kissed her head feathers.

Ari chirred and jumped down, running frantic, joyous circles around his legs before zooming off to hide between Severus' boots.

Orion stood, tucked away his book, and strode off the dueling platform, victorious.

* * *

"To be fair," Orion said as he sipped the tea Albus had served. "It could have been far worse for him, Headmaster. He could easily have found himself in Azkaban for assisting in the illegal breeding of basilisks. I did do you the favour of not destroying him utterly, despite my misgivings on the matter. I hope you know what you are doing in choosing to save the life of a man whose determined blind ignorance will surely result in the death of innocents without him ever intending to cause harm to anyone. Not to mention his intent to breed Artemis to a manticore against her will, which is vile."

Dumbledore twitched. "I had no idea his obsessions had gotten so much worse. When I first gave him sanctuary here, he had recently been tragically framed and falsely accused. While he _had_ harboured an Acromantula spiderling, it wasn't the murderer everyone had been looking for. I couldn't prove it. The child that was killed… there were no bites on her body, you see. Nothing that anyone could point to as a definitive cause of death— but the governors wanted blood, and they chose Hagrid. They needed someone to take the fall for Myrtle Warren's unfortunate demise."

"And in so doing, he was never educated properly," Orion said with a dark scowl. His tone startled the little gryphlet in his lap, and she pawed at his chin carefully. He soothed her feathers and let her settle back to sleep.

"Isn't she bonded to Mr Snape?"

Orion tilted his head. "She's family."

Artemis' foretalons twitched, causing her jesses to jingle soothingly.

"It was my impression that magical adoptions only worked on humans."

"Many would like to believe so," Orion said. "Think of the chaos if purebloods just admitted that they could just adopt a Muggleborn or half-blood and assimilate them into their family magic. So many pointless arguments, hrm?"

"Black family magic has always remained strong. Do you know why?"

Albus frowned. "Many presume it is because you breed to strong magical people."

Orion's face wrinkled with amusement. "Partially right. We marry strong individuals with equally strong magic—and, once married, their magic becomes our magic. We become more, not diluted. Strong. It is not about being Muggleborn or half-blood or purest of the pureblood. It is always about magic, _pure_ magic, and magic calls to magic. Love is easy when magic sings together. People think the House of Black is severely inbred. They think our motto " _toujours pur_ " means blood, but that is all assumption. The true, noble, and most ancient House of Black is about purity of _magic_ —being true to it. We are married to it, you see. To spurn the ancient bindings our family freely made to magic would be to court both disaster and Death—and those of us who know would never wish to call down the ire of Death wittingly.

Orion sniffed. "My cousin, Cygnus, has been a part of a rogue branch of my family since the line of his grandfather. They turned from the ancient ways and decided that purity meant blood, and blood meant, somehow, only being born to some randomly numbered family some idiot put on a list as pureblood lines. It is because of people such as him that fear-mongering has ripped this nation apart. It is because of him that the Statute of Secrecy is necessary, lest they just run out and murder people simply for having what they consider the 'wrong' bloodlines."

Albus turned, looking out the window. The talk of the Statute had clearly touched a nerve.

Orion, however, missed nothing. He straightened his shoulders, broadening his already intimidating form even as he sat with his newest daughter in his lap.

"You think the Statute is unnecessary," Orion said.

Albus didn't make eye contact. "I think keeping Muggles in the dark only causes problems."

Orion's lips twitched. "You would expose Muggles to an entirely new world that will only cause them fear because they cannot ever attain what we have? Just look at the Wizarding world as it is, Headmaster. Human jealousies are no small thing when magic is involved. Would you add Muggles to the mix and have them seek to harness, use, or destroy? Sure you may have a few that could be reasoned with, but the majority of the Muggle world would not be so reasonable. The same behaviour and responses would be true for magicals. Do we not have enough bigotry, bias, and misunderstandings to spare? Are we not on the cusp of yet another war of conflicting ideals? Would you expose both our peoples to creatures they thought only myth? What about other sentient species that we are aware of but Muggles are not? Would you force the centaur to deal with our decision to expose ourselves? Muggles? Who like to own all the land and exploit resources regardless of who lived there first?"

"Is our own magical world not full of enough misunderstanding before we throw more into the fire?" Orion eyed Dumbledore with a stony face, but he gently soothed the gryphlet in his lap with one hand when she fussed.

Albus seemed deep in thought, his gaze seemingly focused on a different place that existed only in his head.

"Thank you for the tea, Headmaster Dumbledore," Orion said, picking up the sleepy gryphlet and cuddling her as he stood up. "It is my hope that Mr Hagrid finds focus as well as peace in Greenland. Perhaps being away from what triggers him will become a part of his recovery.

Orion sighed. "As for my sons and my feathered and furred daughter, my elder son's enforced sequestering in Wales should help bring some peace to them as well as to the Hogwarts student body. I will send you my recommendations on a replacement Keeper of the Keys and Grounds. Whoever you may end up choosing, I highly recommend you find someone who knows the wild and is willing to protect the students as well as the surrounding wilderness."

Dumbledore seemed to keep staring into space as Orion slipped out of the Headmasters office and away.

* * *

Ari bounced around Firenze's legs, squeaking, chirping, and jingling.

"You are okay with this, Magorian? The herd?"

"You will be close to our herd in Severus, Regulus, and She-Who-Pounces," Magorian said. "There is no shame when there will be herd around to ensure you are not mistreated like a common beast."

Ari _rawr_ ed and made herself look puffy and large—yet strangely adorable.

"You see? She knows."

There was a grunt as Severus and Regulus helped tighten the rain tarp over one of the shelters.

"Good work," Magorian said approvingly. "Thistle will be happy to come home to a repaired shelter."

"It was not a problem, Magorian."

Magorian decorated Firenze's face with earth-paint. "You should get moving so you can erect your shelter on the grounds before the rain comes in."

"We'll help," Regulus said, and Severus nodded in agreement.

 _ **Screeeaawk!**_

"And Ari too," Severus said with a smug smile.

"It will be nice to have someone at Hogwarts who knows our values and ways," Magorian said. "It will also position one of our own to protect our border so there may be fewer lost foals wandering into the forest."

"Lost intentionally, most likely," Severus muttered.

Magorian chuckled. "That is just what foals do. Their hooves start to burn and they have to move. They usually try to prove they are grown enough to be without their dams but end up crawling back to them and not leaving them for weeks after."

Severus chuckled.

"Who is going to carry these lodge poles?"

Ari looked at the large poles, sized them up and—

 _FOOP_!

She had enlarged herself to drag the poles with her. She wrapped her beak around the cluster of poles and trotted off, dragging the poles under her like she did her prey.

Regulus sighed. "Is there _any_ thing she can't do?"

"Do nothing," Severus said dryly, pointing his wand at some of the materials to lighten the load and then began pushing it along in front of him.

Regulus slumped, levitated a few of the baskets, and tried to catch up without botching it up and looking like the lone idiot.

* * *

Hagrid's old hut had enough stone in the walls to make two sizeable new shelters and then some.

After a bit of work sorting the stone, they successfully created a variation of the centaur's typical design for a shelter but reinforced with stone to make up for the lack of natural windbreaks the forest would normally provide. They smoothed out the walls, chinked in the gaps, and made a natural floor that keep the floor high and slightly sloped so it would drain well in case the area around it gathered water.

Firenze used his hooves to carve in trenches so the water drained neatly toward the garden patch.

Curious students gawked from nearby, unable to keep their eyes off Firenze. He, with typical centaur blasè manner, didn't wear clothes unless it was absolutely bitter out, and it was obvious that many young witches were admiring his rugged and muscular physique.

Ari was invisible as she moved around, chasing out the squirrels and vermin—or eating them. Either way, nothing was going to trouble Firenze's new shelter while she had anything to do with it. She panicked an entire stampede of rodents out of the area with her beak clacks, but they went tearing off in all directions because she was invisible.

Severus frowned at the milling crowd of goose necks, not liking the attention at all. Attention meant Ari felt uncomfortable being visible, most times, and that really bothered him. Anytime the gryphlet believed herself needing to cloak herself made him nervous. She wasn't exactly scared easily.

Maybe, he thought, she just didn't like scrutiny any more than he did. Did she pick that up from him or Regulus? Or did she naturally not like young wizards and witches.

 _ **Chirr.**_

A plump rat was floating in the air right in front of him.

Severus' lips curled up into a smile. "Why don't you show that crowd of witches your catch, love?"

 _Jingle. Jingle. Jingle._

The rat floated off towards the crowd of witches.

A barrage of high-pitched, hysterical screams came shortly after as the witches fled back to Hogwarts—

No, wait, witches _and_ wizards seemed to be running away from the ghostly dead rat.

Severus' lips curved into a smile.

 _Excellent_.

* * *

 **A/N** : Big cardiac exam on Monday morning, so no writing for me until after then if I don't have other wondrous things to do. (wee!) Wish me luck. I'm so scared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Beta Love:** The Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01, Flyby Commander Shepard

 **Trigger Warning:** Scene of abuse within, sorry.

* * *

 **Feather, Beak and Claw**

 **Chapter Three**

Another AU Crackfic by Corvus Draconis

A gift for The Dragon and the Rose

 _Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today._

James Dean

Ari pulled on the cords to try and tie the parcel together, making frustrated chirping sounds as the cord snapped in her beak. She frowned at it, scowling as much as her eagle countenance was able.

A large, practically round, fuzzy spider watched her from the brush with multiple eyes.

" _You look frustrated,"_ the spider said, rubbing its multicoloured abdomen with its rear legs.

Ari jumped with a start.

The spider raised its front legs and wave. " _Oh hai."_

"Hello?" Ari replied, walking over to poke the spider with her beak.

" _Hehehhe! That tickles!"_

Ari blinked and tilted her head to peer at the arachnid. "You speak!"

" _So do you."_

Ari sat down. "I suppose that's fair. Most people can't understand me."

" _It takes a certain kind of mind,"_ the spider said. " _If you try to talk to a rabbit or a squirrel, you mostly get 'hungry, hungry, mates, hungry, get off my lawn, hungry'."_

"You seem more conversational."

" _Spiders always have something to say,"_ the arachnid said. The spider bounced on all eight legs. " _Okay, well, we do. My species."_

"I've never seen a spider like you," Artemis boggled.

" _I've never seen a real gryphon before either,"_ the spider replied. " _Heard lots of stories though. Mum told me stories about how there used to be more of us and gryphons and we'd help bind their nests together so they'd stay put in crazy places. In return, they'd protect us from— well, things that like to eat us."_

"Sounds practical."

The spider bounced _. "It is!"_

"I'm Artemis, but they like to call me Ari."

" _I'm Ffraid. It's human. Welsh, I think. Mum was a well-travelled, very literate spider."_

Ari scratched her head with her foot. "I don't have a nest."

" _You will,"_ the spider said confidently. " _Tell you what. I'll be your spider. Maybe not your only spider but your first spider. Every gryphon should have a spider."_

" _Do you cuddle?"_

The arachnid pondered. " _I don't know."_

"Would you like to try?"

Ffraid tapped her legs. " _Okay!"_

Ari wrapped her beak around the plush arachnid and placed her between her forelegs, curled up around her, and set her head on top, snuggling in.

" _Oh_!" Ffraid exclaimed in delight. " _I like this."_

"You're very comfy."

" _I was born that way, apparently."_

"You're quite therapeutic."

" _Oh! That sounds like a good thing to be."_

"You're much friendlier than the big ones that tried to eat Fluffhead and Softhands."

" _Ew, who would want to eat people? I know where they've been!"_

Artemis chuckled. "Some of them are pretty fun. Not to eat, though."

Ffraid wriggled her legs. " _I usually stay away from people. They tend to scream a lot and throw heavy things at me._ "

"To be fair, you are a very large spider to most humans," Ari said.

Ffraid hrmmed, drumming her legs. " _I suppose so."_

Ari let the spider loose after a good snuggle, and went back to glaring at the parcel she was trying to wrap. "Sometimes not having hands is frustrating."

" _Can I help?_ "

Artemis cocked her head. "Maybe?"

" _I'm a spider. We wrap things professionally. Well, usually. I hear there are some kinds of us that don't. Rebels."_

Ari grinned, the two parts of her beak gaping in an eagle s mile.

The spider hopped onto the parcel, webbed one bit of the shiny paper, hopped to the other side, webbed the other, then pulled the sides together, repeating until she had the bundle so expertly wrapped that it even included a small, silken bow on top.

"You're _**amazing!"**_ Ari exclaimed.

"So, you want a spider?"

Ari pondered. "Only if that spider is you."

Ffraid bounced joyfully. " _Hurray! A gryphon of my own!"_ She scurried up onto the gryphlet's back, poofed herself into a smaller, more compact size, and hid in her feathers.

Artemis picked up the wrapped parcel and took off, mission successful.

* * *

Christmas holidays had Regulus and Severus shopping in Diagon Alley with none other than Orion Black, who tried to give the two some independence so they didn't have to buy his Christmas present in front of him. Since the duel, Orion was given an even more respectful berth than before, and Regulus said his father was hardly one with no small amount of respect in or outside of family.

Between the gargoyle fountain that graced their back garden and the banishing of one Rubeus Hagrid, the Black family had proven without a doubt that magic still ran strong in their blood, and that was without outsiders knowing the truth of it.

Too used to sticking together, both Regulus and Severus shopped together. Slughorn had put their potions class together in order to keep the bullying down and even out the numbers, and it had pretty much enforced them using the buddy system. Regulus reported no problems in Minerva's classes, and he suspected no one _dared_ cross Professor McGonagall. Flitwick, apparently,only had one incident before he proved to the entire student body that he was not a former dueling champion for nothing. Madam Hooch was far too hawk-eyed to let anything get past her, and most of the people in Spout's classes were too busy trying not to die by Venomous Tentacula or whatever other deadly foliage she had growing in her greenhouses. Someone had apparently tried to pull the wool over Sinistra's astronomy class and found themselves floating in space for a few seconds in a rapidly shrinking bubble of atmosphere before returning with absolutely _no_ desire to repeatedly offend in anyway.

Things were looking better, both wizards agreed, now that Dumbledore had publicly put out a warning about bullying as well as supported each and every one of the staff in whatever they needed to do in order to put an end to the not-so-harmless pranking.

If anything, the harmless pranking had gone up, and there were quite a few amusing charms that had plagued the halls, from a sneaky charm that turned one's hair to house-appropriate shiny tinsel, enchanted snowballs that chased you down the halls, and charms that turned you into a snowman if you loitered too long in one place.

Many an embarrassed snogging snow-person was caught and promptly sent to detention with a bemused Argus Filch.

Enchanted catnip mice lured away little Mrs Norris and the curious Kneazle kitten, Nick, barrelling down the halls in feline glee. Charmed mops cleaned the halls only to be chased away by house-elves— only to have the shrieking house-elves being chased away by brooms and mops. The house-elves were up in arms over a charm that enchanted anyone who passed by to gain festive clothing, which the occasional gaudy sweater or argyle socks.

Dumbledore kindly assured the panicked elves that no, they were _not_ being freed. Honest, really, he promised them repeatedly.

There were far more students than usual staying at Hogwarts for the winter holidays. Rumours had it blamed on paranoia about the looming war— some strange stirring in the unseen future.

But for Regulus and Severus and one happy gryphlet, the winter holidays were going to spent at the House of Black. Severus, having already been given his own room (thankfully not Sirius' old one), was finally feeling like he had a real family.

Severus's discovery of a very large and fluffy spider hiding in his gryphlet's feathers had startled him quite a bit until Ari had taken the spider, fluffed it, and cuddled it even as she snuggled happily into him.

"I see you're still making friends everywhere," Snape observed.

Ari chirred at him, giving the arachnid a nuzzle, slurp, and then carried it off to the next room, her tail swishing back and forth like a verbal, "yeah, and?"

Regulus was a little taken aback by the discovery of the arachnid, but the arachnid seemed equally suspicious of him. Orion, however, coaxed the spider into his hands and had her purring within seconds, itching that one spot where her abdomen met her cephalothorax that she couldn't _quite_ reach herself.

Suspicion of the fluffy arachnid continued with most of the family until one morning had led to the discovery that the spider's venom mixed into a solvent potion removed permanent-sticking-charmed bonds.

" _Well, of course it works,"_ Ffraid squeaked. " _We have to dissolve our silk to recycle it, and it's pretty strong stuff!"_

Orion had burst out laughing, having understood her, even when Severus and Regulus couldn't.

Orion gleefully "tested" the solvent on his elder son's profaned room, removing all the Muggle posters off the ancient murals of their ancestors' home. One by one, the posters and other offensive material disappeared, thrown into the fireplace by none other than one stone-faced Walburga Black.

Sirius' room was then worked over, restored, and protected both by a layer of sealant and magic to keep anything from being permanently stuck to the beautiful murals and mosaics again.

" _This place is disgusting,"_ Ffraid said, having caught a manky old sock in her webline.

Ari rescued her spider from the mouldering laundry with all due haste as Kreacher dutifully and with great satisfaction set the room to rights by packing up all of Sirius' old belongings into trunks and throwing out the "vile rubbish that belonged in Knockturn Alley."

Orion unstuck the window and let the fresh air in, and a bit of house-elf magic had all the dust, must, and general stank fleeing out the new escape. Despite no one currently sleeping there, Walburga seemed content to keep the room open and visible now that it no longer set her hair into hisses and almost-stony regards.

Severus recommended moving the fountain indoors and turning the room into a inside garden pool and sauna to match the lovely nature-themed murals and mosaics, and Walburga said nothing even as her eyes sparkled with delight at the thought of it.

"He wasn't always like that, you know," Regulus said quietly as they looked over gift ideas. The rain had started in Diagon Alley, but the air smelled better for it as it mixed with the telltale glory of fresh-baked pasties. "My brother used to be fun. Someone to look up to, but once he and Bellatrix got on, it was like her insanity bled into him. It wasn't even— sexual— at first. They were just kids like me. But he idolised Bella, and she knew it. She used it. She _adored_ the attention— and she soon had him wrapped around her little finger."

Regulus picked up a delicate hand-blown unbreakable glass quill set. "Mum would like this, I think." He sighed. "As soon as my brother started looking towards the female gender for more than just casual company, she was there to warp his first time and twist his needs and desires into her own— and I think something must have happened— magically, I mean— that bound them. Not a marriage or she'd never have been able to marry Rodolphus Lestrange, I think, but something deeper than fancy or even a crush."

"The first hol he came back from Hogwarts, he'd already changed so much. He had mum ready to strike him off the family tree after he called her a—'bloody Slytherin snake' and some other things that about had father ready to raise his hand to him."

"It makes no sense that he'd hate Slytherin so much but most if not all of his family has been in the same House," Severus said, thoughtful. "Being a rebel is one thing, but if he was really with Bellatrix—"

"Odd, isn't it? The contradictions, I mean." Regulus paid for the quill as they waited for it to be wrapped. "The brother I used to know— he was a joker, but he wasn't a homicidal sort. He very well wouldn't have been plotting your death by werewolf, that's for sure. Now— I don't know. Father thinks that something happened between Sirius and Bellatrix that switched him over to their side of the Black family— bound his magic to Cygnus' sect or tried to. As you know, our magic protects our side of the family very strongly. It cares for us, but it also doesn't tolerate going to other families. I understand better now that we had our little coming of age ceremony into the real House of Black."

"Your brother never had that ceremony did he?" Severus asked.

"No. I didn't even know it was going to happen to me. I would have remembered if Sirius had done something so clandestine. Hah."

Severus seemed thoughtful. "So he had a lot of potential and then Bellatrix got her hooks in him. If magic does flow so strongly connected to your— _our_ — family, then wouldn't it be logical that their twisted magic may have altered his along with his personality?"

Regulus mulled it over in his mind. "It has the ring of truth to it, but I don't want to just blame it on magic. I think my brother made a choice, albeit the wrong one, and is now paying the price for it. He chose Gryffindor because he wanted to be different from his family. He chose Bellatrix because she was so different from everyone in our family. She may have used him, but I think somewhere inside him, he wanted it enough that he didn't really care. Maybe he wanted to piss off father."

"Seems to be working."

"Undoubtedly."

Regulus sighed. "We may never know the truth now. Choice or not. Magic or not. Corruption or not. Sirius is dancing on our father's last nerve, which is saying a lot considering it takes a lot to get our father out of that calm pocket universe he seems to live in most of the time."

"Hagrid got him out of it."

Regulus snorted. "Yeah, well, he hurt family. That _always_ gets him going. I just never realised it went beyond mum, dad, and Sirius until recently. I'm not complaining, though. I'm really glad you're my brother."

Severus quirked a smile. "Me too." He looked at a small figurine of a unicorn that was sitting on one of the shelves. "My mum would like this, but if I get it for her, father will destroy it. It feels odd calling him that—I feel more for our father than ever I did for my birth one."

"It's the magic bound to the blood," Regulus said. "Your mum renounced her magic and it probably never forgave her for that. You never felt bound to your family due to your father being a real piece of work and the magic never called you to hers together either. Doubly bad for you. Still, it doesn't insult the Black family that you still had them. You just have more people to buy for during hols."

Severus snorted. He stared at the figurine again. "I always wondered why a witch would choose to stay in a house that abused her."

"Her wand was probably destroyed when she decided to go live in the Muggle world," Regulus mused. "The Statute demands it— but it doesn't say she can never return, only that she cannot practice wand magic."

"What about wandless magic?"

"I'm pretty sure it's allowed, but most people cannot use magic without a wand and if you are seriously out of practice—"

Severus sighed. "She wouldn't perform even the smallest bits of magic when I was a child. I think, maybe, she was hoping I wouldn't show any magical ability. If I hadn't—"

"The abuse would have still happened anyway, brother," Regulus said. "That is what abusers do. People like that never change."

Severus blinked. The unicorn figurine was _gone_.

He looked around.

 _ **Chirr!**_

Ari hopped on the nearby counter and plunked down a small, wrapped gift in tasteful emerald and crimson paper and a big silver bow.

" _ **Skkkirp!"**_

Severus stared at the smug-looking gryphlet. "Did you—?"

She blinked up at him.

Severus looked for one of the cashiers. "Um—what do I owe you for—"

The witch with a sparkling green and red sash turned. "You owe us nothing dear."

"But, this package—"

"All paid up, dear."

"But, I didn't— _ **OW!**_ "

Artemis glowered at him, her beak having pecked him soundless on the rump.

The cashier chuckled. "We know her well here, Apprentice Black. We sent a owl to Gringott's to debit her account."

Severus ran one hand through his hair a bit sheepishly. "Oh."

Regulus nudged Severus. "I think you need this winter holiday far more than you realise."

Artemis yawned widely and chirped.

Severus shook his head. "You're probably right." He picked up the package. "Thank you," he told the gryphlet.

 _ **Chirr!**_

* * *

It felt odd to have clothes that fit him, Severus realised.

It felt odd to have clothes that were his first— not some hand-me-down of his despised father's. His sperm donor—

He had _never_ been a father to him.

Short of one solitary night with his mother, Tobias Snape had contributed far more hate than anything else. He wondered what would have his mum putting up with the likes of Tobias instead of leaving him and going back to the Wizarding world.

Standing there at the shabby door in Spinner's End with the snow falling heavily upon him like he was a black marble statue, he felt like a foreigner.

It was before noon. His father would already be up, having dragged himself to the bar for six pints before lunch. That was where all the money went instead of upkeep on the house. He paid enough taxes to not have the house taken away from him but just barely. And his mother?

Severus wasn't quite sure anymore.

He knocked on the door like a stranger because he _was_ one.

The door creaked open, the lock not strong enough to withstand even the rapping of his knuckles.

Ari bristled next to his leg, every feather and bit of fur on her body sticking straight up to make her look like a bottle brush.

Part of him wished he'd taken Orion up on his offer of escort. Hell, part of him wished Regulus was there to back him up.

Since when was he afraid to walk into the house he'd lived in for—

Artemis bumped against his leg.

 _ **Squirp?**_

Right, maybe he'd never really stopped being afraid.

He slowly walked into the house he'd grown up in, his nose wrinkling at the scent of cigarette smoke, stale beer and musty air. That was another thing he'd always hated enough to run to the park and at least get some oxygen that wasn't tainted with nicotine and booze. Tobias had a great many foul vices, and all of them _stank_ : beer, fags, and drinking beer until it either came back up or was pissed out.

Ari leaned into his leg, her body as tense as a coiled spring. Even her spider was hiding, tucking herself deep into Ari's feathers and using her silk to make herself a feather fort.

"Your nose is probably screaming, love," he said to her.

She thumped her beak into his boots as if to wipe the ungodly stench away.

" _ **You did it on purpose you crafty, stupid bitch!"**_ a harsh voice bellowed angrily. The sound of flesh hitting flesh met together with a sharp crack and a sickening thud.

"Tobias, no—"

 _ **CRACK!**_

Female whimpering came from within.

"First you deny me what is rightfully _**mine**_ , then you force me into nearly eighteen years of waiting for that waste of space to grow into his bloody magic so I could finally access the Prince vaults— but then he went and got himself _**ADOPTED!**_ "

 _ **CRACK!**_

"You worthless _**slag**_ ," Tobias' voice snarled. "I haven't posed as a Muggle and hidden you from your domineering family, married you out of the kindness of my heart. You _**promised**_ me your inheritance to keep you from having to marry stuffy old Lord Malfoy, and you _**will**_ pay up."

"I had no idea he was going to be adopted!" a thin female voice quavered piteously. "How _could_ I have known?"

"You purposely withheld your magic to keep _**his**_ magic from bonding to yours. You _**PURPOSELY**_ made it so I couldn't take the money that oh so conveniently went to his well-hidden trust fund, you manipulative _**whore!**_ "

 _ **SLAP!**_

"Well, now—" Tobias said, straightening his narrow shoulders and cracking his neck. "Seeing as you've clearly lost your purpose, I'm going to give you the singular honour of driving your precious boy directly into the arms of Lord Voldemort. He's going to find out that his prize bastard of Muggle father savagely beat you in a drunken rage— to _**death**_ —and he'll be ready to blindly throw himself into the Dark Lord's graces to avenge himself upon the stupid bloody Muggles. Think of this as a kind of— absolution. You may be a total failure— a coward who ran to the first stranger in a bar to avoid a proper marriage— but now you will serve a far better purpose. _**Our**_ purpose."

Tobias punched a hole in the drywall and felt around, blood slowly oozing around his knuckles as he drew out a slender hickory wand.

"Goodbye, Eileen."

Twin blurs of black and golden feathers and fur slammed hard into Tobias, knocking him flat on his back. One went direct to the man's face as the other surgically removed his wand (and hand) at the wrist with practiced precision. One rainbow-streaked spider sank her dainty fangs into the dark wizard's pulsing throat.

The wizard choked and attempted to stagger to his feet and get away, instead falling on his face as his legs were bound in a few stray strands of spider silk.

 _ **Crack.**_

 _ **Crack.**_

 _ **CRACK!**_

Black-robed figures in eerie silver skull-masks appeared, casting spells. The black gryphlet went tumbling into a shattered wall, his body cracking against the broken supports, even as the golden gryphlet opened her beak wide and—

 _ **SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**_

The enraged gryphlet launched herself at one of the masked figures, tearing off the mask with a clack of her beak as her body grew larger, larger—

Her beak snapped over the one's head.

 _ **CRRRRRRKKKKKSSSLICK**_.

She crushed the skull and ripped the head clean off its shoulders, flinging the limp body against one of the few remaining inner walls.

Two tall figures pointed wands at her before she could regain herself and green beams flew at her—

 _ **ZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!**_

Two of the cloaked, masked figures collapsed behind her, having taken the green beams straight to the chest.

The angry gryphon froze, her tail lashing as she seemed to reevaluate her scorecard.

The two in front of her removed their masks, setting their masks and wands down as they knelt before her.

"Easy," one said.

"We're on your side, my lady."

The gryphon clacked her beak, clearly suspicious of them.

The two wizards dropped their hoods.

"I am called Rabastan."

"Rodolphus."

"We owed you a debt of honour for neutralising Bellatrix and freeing us from her yoke."

They both winced in pain as their arms rose up against their will and they both attempted to strangle each other. A pulsing, angry, skull and snake tattoo spewed green and black venom up their trembling arms.

They struggled, though whether to kill the other or to fight the dark compulsion, it was pretty hard to tell.

The gryphon watched them, her leonine tail lashing with conflict.

Her form shimmered, blurring, twisting. Cold, frigid as the grave, billowed outward as she stood on her hind legs and then upright. Blacker than black robes swirled around the figure as a bone skull of a gryphon showed from under the thick hood. Bleached bone talon-hands stretched out from the sleeves. Fire burned within the hollow eye sockets. A glowing crimson-orange stone blazed from the center of the being's skull.

Her talon-hands wrapped around each of the wizard's tattoos and squeezed, the cold and grip crushing their arms so tight they had no choice but to let go of the other's throats. They crumpled in front of her, crying out in agony.

 _Defiler._

Her body seemed guided— and for a moment, each wizard saw the figure of a larger and even more imposing black-clad, skull-faced figure behind her. He seemed to guide her movements like a master to the apprentice.

"Lord Death… " Rodolphus whispered hoarsely, as both he and his brother cast their eyes down, even as their arms were jerked up and thick rivulets of black oil oozed from their pores. They hung limply, unable and utterly unwilling to move, lest they offend Death.

 _My Daughter. Burn their Marks._

The gryphon-skulled figure lowered an open beak to the arms and _screamed_.

 _ **SCREEEEEEEEEE!**_

Their arms burst into magical fire, the pair screaming in agony as their flesh writhed as the vile sickness tore free from their flesh, molecule by molecule. The room seemed to be filled with a thick, choking darkness until only the two sets of glowing, unnatural eyes burned solely in the blackness. It smothered, suffocated, and stole the very breath of the room until nothing was left.

Oblivion awaited.

* * *

Severus woke to find himself staring up at the ceiling, supine, and suffering from an epic headache..

Ari was staring down at him.

 _ **Chirrrrup!**_

He reached to soothe her feathers instinctively, and she rumbled happily.

He jolted up as he remembered his mother, and he instantly regretted it. He winced, holding his head.

"I'd lay right back down, son," Orion said, gently easing Severus back onto the pillow.

"My mum—"

"Is fine," Orion said reassuringly. "The healers are tending to her."

Severus sagged in relief. "Thank Merlin."

"Our little feathered miracle seems to have come through and saved both you, your mother, and—" Orion gestured over to where two wizards were speaking with a small gaggle of Aurors. "A couple new allies."

Orion picked up the gryphlet and rubbed her belly, and she purr-chirred with wriggling abandon.

Severus frowned, confused.

"Those two are the Lestrange brothers. Rabastan and Rodolphus. Apparently our earlier altercation with Bellatrix freed them from a number of dark compulsions— but not the one that bound them to one who calls himself Lord Voldemort."

"Lord— Voldemort?"

Orion nodded.

"I remember— my father said he was going to kill my mum so I would run to that person. His Lord."

"From what the Aurors have said, Tobias Snape was merely an alias. He was actually— _is_ actually— Evan Rosier. He posed as a Muggle back in the day— luring women off to bed and then murdering them. It was something of a family habit. His grandfather, father— I believe one of his relatives went on a Muggle killing spree a few centuries ago in Whitechapel. Aurors finally caught up with him and put him in Azkaban, but not before he murdered a number of Muggle women. He slaughtered them, slashing them with cutting curses and eviscerating them. It was a most detestable affair."

Orion shook his head. "Evan disappeared about twenty years ago, and now we know why. Apparently, your mother was trying to avoid marriage to none other than Abraxas Malfoy— an arranged marriage between the two families. Regardless of whether she was justified in doing so, he bedded her, hoping to bind her to his magic and thus gain access to her inheritance from the Prince family. But, instead of that, your mother had you— and the inheritance naturally passed to you. So, he continued the farce, hoping that your magic would bind to either hers, so he could beat her out of it, or that it would bind you to him, where he could take it as your caretaker— but your mum broke her wand and closed off her magic."

"On purpose."

"Yes."

"She protected me all this time— did she know?"

"That Tobias was actually magical? Perhaps, but in the end it didn't matter. It was very likely that he planned to herd you into his 'lord's' clutches so you would willingly give over your inheritance to the cause, avenging yourself upon the 'dirty Muggles' like your father."

Orion shook his head. "The truth is, had he treated your mother and you better, he most likely would have had what he wanted— but he was incapable of such feeling and care. Your magic— her magic— neither wished to bind to his. It was probably driving him even more insane, day by day, that magic had foiled him and denied him. As a pureblood— there can be no greater judgement of failure."

Severus took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "What will happen to her?"

"For now? Recovery. For later—" Orion sighed. "She is not a Black, but she is important to you, therefore she is important to us all. We will do what we can to try and help her reconnect to her magic and reintegrate her into the Wizarding world if that is what she so chooses. If she wishes to remain in the Muggle world, then there is little we can do for her."

Severus nodded his head.

"She might choose a Muggle life, my son," Orion said. "She fled her family to avoid a terrible marriage, and that stigma still remains. The road will not be easy. I can do what I can to shield her from Abraxas' wrath, but much of his bluster will be lost in that he so quickly married and already has a son. She did not, as he would try to say, keep him from heirs."

"The Prince family— would they blame her?"

"The dowry on such a marriage would have been extensive. The dishonour— hard to say. It depends on her reasons and if her family believes them."

"Complicated pureblood politics," Severus dryly repeated Regulus' description.

"There are the Old Ways," Orion said, "and then there are the old ways that people remember instead of the real ones. It can get— complicated."

"You said Artemis saved us— them." He pointed to the two scruffy-looking wizards who were still talking to a pair of dour-looking Aurors.

"She did."

"How do you know?"

"Both Rodolphus and Rabastan swore it under Oath of their magic when they gave their testimony. They would lose their magic if they lied."

Severus' eyes widened. "People swear on their _magic_?"

"Or their life, in the case of an Unbreakable vow."

"Why—"

"Sometimes it's the only way to prove you _really_ mean it."

"Why all the sombre faces?"

Orion snorted. "They had an evil tattoo on their arms that tried to force them into killing each other when they defended Artemis from their comrades."

"They're serious because got tattooed with evil ink?"

"No, they're serious because they had evil ink— but it's _gone_."

"That's good, though, isn't it?"

"Undoubtedly."

"What about me?"

"Hrm?" Orion asked.

"I destroyed a man's _face_ by basically tearing it to pieces."

"It's already been discussed… considering you caught Rosier just as he was about to murder your mother. You're fine, my son. Your actions were perfectly justified. Admirable even."

"So, Snape isn't even a real name."

"It's as real as you, are but now, my son, you can make it what you wish. It does not have to hover over your past like a phantom. You are and forever will be Severus Black, a treasured son of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Your past is never forgotten, but it need not hang over you like a threatening storm cloud."

 _ **Chirrrup!**_

Artemis jingled as she bounced over to where Rodolphus and Rabastan were chatting. She jumpbonked against their legs until Rabastan picked her up and cradled her.

"Hello, my Lady of Our Dark Father," he said.

The gryphlet chirred and wriggled, kicking her legs.

"So, you stand by the statement that you were rescued by— Death?"

"No," Rodolphus said, playing with the gryphlet's beak. "Death and his daughter."

"Some guy in a black cloak and a skull for a face," the other Auror said, implying that they had been with a group of people who wore black robes and skull masks as a matter of principle.

" _ **Enough**_ , Reynolds," Alastor Moody barked. "They are both under Oath. They aren't lying. Go take the records back to the office and try not to get yourself lost along the way, eh?"

The gaggle of now sheepish-looking Aurors shuffled off as Moody grunted. One of them put a seal on a scroll and then yoinked a little elf owl off a perch, sending it off. The poor owl hooted with distress as it wobble-flew off.

Ari eyed the owl and the Auror with an eagle-scowl, her tail lashing back and forth in irritation.

" _ **YEEEEOWCH!"**_ the Auror cried, rubbing his gryphlet-pecked rump.

Rodolphus continued to pet Ari on the head crest.

"Idiot," Moody snorted.

Ari chirped at him.

"Hello, lass," he said.

 _ **Chirr!**_

She held out her talons at him.

Moody, utterly unable to resist the adorable, picked the little gryphlet up. Her golden eyes locked with his. "So we have you to blame for this fraca, hrm?"

 _ **Chirp!**_

"Mmmhmm."

 _ **Chirrup! Squeerrk! CHI!**_

"So _you_ say," Moody commented.

 _ **Sssskrrrk!**_

"I suppose."

The gryphlet perched on his shoulder and chirp-screed at random passersby.

Moody seemed strangely relaxed as he approached Severus and Orion. "Lord Black," he said, bowing slightly. "Mr Snape—" The Auror flinched. "Er… Mr Black, my sincere apologies."

Severus surprised himself with how easy it was to forgive. "It is not a problem. I am— positive it is too new to be natural for most people."

Moody seemed relieved and nodded.

 _ **Chirrp!**_

Moody scratched the gryphlet under the chin. "Does Her Ladyship approve?"

 _ **Chirrup! Skkrr!**_

"I suppose we should have a good sit down and discuss what happened from your perspective, Mr Black."

Severus nodded.

Alastor pulled up a chair, ignoring the fact that Severus was still in the recovery bed. "Let's get to it then."

* * *

Christmas was a surreal experience for Severus. For the first time he was amongst family, and it _felt_ like family. Always before, he had spent his hols at Hogwarts after his first return to Spinner's End had been— completely disastrous.

Now, of course, he knew exactly why.

Tobias Snape had been a _lie_.

Yet, as he watched his birth mother sitting calmly as she entertained all sorts of curious questions from his now, true family.

He was worried she would think him a traitor, but he shouldn't have worried. He hadn't remembered seeing his mum happy in— well, ever.

He had a wonderful family, his bank coffers were filled, his mum was alive and recovering from her terrible ordeal, his main tormentors were no longer getting away with all their so-called "pranks" on him and so many others, and—

Jingle. Jingle-jingle…. _**POUNCE**_!

Severus smiled as the gryphlet pounced his lap and dropped a shiny present into his lap.

Then there was _her_. His beloved Artemis.

It had all started with her.

While she had been able to change into different sizes since early on, he had the feeling she had grown much in other ways since her fluffy post-egg growth. He wasn't sure why, but he saw more intelligence in her eyes. What was it that Kingsley had told him?

When she was older, she would _remember._

Remember what, though?

He couldn't imagine his world without her, though. Pint sized, pocket sized, larger than life Acromantula eating size—

Life without her would feel so terribly empty and cold. Lonely.

He wondered if he could even— as his Lord Father had put it— pick a wife amongst the House of Black. Could anyone, truly, accept him as a mate, whose life was so entwined with that of one golden gryphlet.

Enraptured? Entangled?

When he tried to pull up the memory of what had been his sole friend of childhood— a memory that had once been accompanied by pain— all he could see was those warm golden eyes that would forgive him anything.

Even if it did come with a severe peck to the rump.

In just a few months, he, Regulus, and Artemis had forged an alliance with a network of people he could never have dreamed of, and that wasn't even including the herd, that was also like family to him.

He'd gone from abused and broken to something he could barely even fathom: accepted and respected.

And there had been no Dark magic that had helped him get there.

He'd come so close to descending into Dark magic to feel better about the entire Lily fiasco. Too close— and had he gone through with half of what his mind had dreamed of at one time, he doubted any amount of forgiveness was going to dig him out of what came after, considering what he'd been living with all his life at home: an avaricious Dark Wizard who wanted nothing more than to get his hands on his mum's inheritance.

 _ **CHrrrrrIPK!**_

One hyper gryphlet pounced his boots. She grabbed one lace, wrestled with it, undid his knot, and then tumbled, bounces, rolled, twisted, flopped onto her side, got back up, and dashed at high speed toward the Christmas tree, peeled through the presents, and then zoomed off somewhere else in the house.

Oddly, no one else seemed to notice, or they were simply used to her random antics.

Severus stared at the package in his lap and gently tugged the ribbon on it. The box inside fell out.

Severus stared at it.

Shining etched beasts decorated a very handsome goblin silver pocket watch. He opened the lid and exposed the mother of pearl face and delicate arms and second hand. The shimmer of magic kept the watch perpetually in perfect time. On the lid of the watch was a moving photograph of himself, Regulus, and Ari at their coming of age dinner— their official induction into the _true_ House of Black. Someone had taken it while both Regulus and Severus had been smiling at the smug-looking gryphlet.

 _Toujours Pur_ emblazoned a banner at the bottom.

Always Pure.

Severus touched the motto with his finger. It was ironic that what so many people believed it meant wasn't the true meaning.

Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.

 _FLOMP!_

Artemis landed in his lap, sending pieces of wrapping paper flying in all directions.

Severus hugged the gryphlet to him, pressing his nose into her feathers. "Thank you, you amazing creature."

The gryphlet chirped, clamping her beak over his nose and giving him a playful lick.

Whether she had help getting his gift didn't matter. It was truly magical enough that she'd thought of him. So many years went by when Christmas had come and gone with only a few token gifts from some of Slytherin, none of them truly special save for the ones from Regulus. Lucius had tried to get him things— gloves, hair things, tonics— and Severus had just collected them in his trunk and hardly given them another glance. And Lily—

She'd given him a box of sweets once. At the time he'd thought it so generous until he saw what she'd gotten so many others. It had bothered him, back then, but now he felt strangely okay. It just wasn't worth the effort to get bothered by it.

The spider that had apparently adopted Artemis (or vice versa depending on who was asking) had apparently acquired her own crafting bag of endless pockets to stash all of her silken projects. She carried it under her abdomen like an egg sac, which seemed perfectly normal until she pulled out a full sized duvet and curtain set.

Walburga was ecstatically happy over the gift of silken housewares.

Those rainbow emblazoned spiders were pretty darned talented, he had to admit.

For Orion, she pulled out a great, silken tapestry that depicted the entire House of Black in all their beast forms as they battled back the Darkness in an epic battle worthy of being told in Valhalla. Orion drew the arachnid to his face and gave her a gentle kiss on the cephalothorax.

The spider spun around in circles really fast before zipping back into Artemis' feathers.

Apparently, spider and gryphon had distributed presents to everyone, each one a little special. Gryphon feather quills for writing for some, smaller feathers and fluffs as dangles for hair. Each was carefully wrapped in spider silk. The quills were expertly fitted with goblin silver nibs, ensuring they would never wear out like the standard writing quills.

His ambitious little gryphlet had provided for everyone.

A sense of pride in his little feathered and furred wonder burbled in his stomach and rose into his chest. Unlike the disappointment he had once felt upon realising Lily had given so many presents (many of them _far_ more expensive than sweets) he felt as though Ari had thought long and hard on what to get everyone, not wanting to leave anyone out. Even so, she had obviously put a lot of care into each one— even if she had to recruit help to do it.

The gryphlet had scored a dried piece of meat and a bone from somewhere, and she was enjoying it with relish as everyone chatted and ate, celebrating the holiday with no small amount of warmth. He, for once, felt a part of it. After having spent a night celebrating with the herd, life was looking up. He resolved to make the most of the gift and put his past jealousies and vengeance aside.

He had responsibility now— more so than ever— to take care of Artemis and allow her to be the warm-hearted gryphlet that would become an awe-inspiring gryphoness in the future.

As he heard his mother laughing— _really_ laughing— at the gryphlet's hyperactive chasing antics, Severus took it as the gift it was.

It was life.

Life worth living.

* * *

Ari poked her head out from behind one of Hogwarts' drapelike curtains.

Mew!

Two kittens looked up at her, pouncing the drapery.

Ari jingle bounced down the hall, the two kittens in hot pursuit.

She then jumped into the air, flipped open her wings, somersaulted backwards, and pounced them both.

Mew!

The two kittens pouted, having been outpounced.

The gryphlet groomed them with amusement and then bounded down the hallways again, kittens too curious not to follow her jingling.

"Oi, there you two are," a voice said.

The kittens screeched to a halt and doubled back to pounce the man's shoelaces.

"Where have you two been playing all day, hrm?"

Mew! they said together.

He ruffled the brown and tan kitten with a smile. "You're supposed to be teaching him good habits, Mrs Norris."

The fluffy long-haired kitten mewled in protest.

The bright orange Kneazle kitten, Nick, was all mischief about the whiskers.

Jingle. Jingle. jingle.

"Oh? What's this?" Argus asked as he followed the jingles.

He saw the end of a leonine tail disappear into a door.

Curious, Argus followed and found himself in a room he'd never been in before— full to the ceiling with piles and piles of things. Most of them were in pristine condition, but they were all crammed together like sardines in a can.

"Is this all cast aside?" Argus boggled as he touched an old mahogany chest of drawers. A fine layer of dust came off to expose beautifully rich red wood.

His eyes grew wide as so many thing he would have worked years to afford should he have tried to have one built for himself.

Jingle. Jingle.

Argus followed the jingling, kittens following behind, and came to an old four-post bed, wardrobe, and table set looking like they'd been waiting for him. Each thing had been painstakingly pulled from the other piles and set up, cleaned, and oiled— waiting for something like him to find it.

Mew!

The kittens pounced the side of the bed and pulled themselves up.

Argus reached out to touch the wood of the bed posts— the detailed carvings of cats detailed the wood.

His hand a lighted on the smooth, almost warm wood.

 _ **FOOOOOWWPP!**_

Argus found himself in his chambers with a pile of new furniture crowded in the center of his living quarters.

The kittens tussled on the bed, utterly oblivious.

"Well I— wow," Argus said patting the bed post. "Thank you, then," he said to no one in particular as phantom jingles rang out somewhere else in Hogwarts.

* * *

Task done, Ari yawned and continued her trek through the room of endless stuff. Some of the stuff was interesting, some not, but Artemis was looking for something specific— even if she wasn't sure what that was. Hogwarts seemed to want her to find things, and that was okay. It was fun!

She'd found several items for Argus and rescued them from the piles. She'd elf-napped a house-elf to help her with cleaning it— even though the elf thought if it didn't do it, she'd eat him.

 _Oops._

She'd carried the elf back out of the room and patted it on the head with her talons to thank it, but she was pretty sure it still thought she wanted to eat it. Oh well.

For days, she'd been finding neat things, forgotten amongst the forgotten, and bringing them to students and staff that needed them. Piece of piece, object by object, she was whittling down the piles, giving the lost things to those who needed them. She'd been working hard, but the piles were barely touched— or so it seemed.

" _This place needs a hundred gryphons to go through all this stuff,"_ she said.

" _You're probably right,"_ Ffraid said, perched on her head and looking around with multiple eyes. " _You could probably build a great nest in here. No one would ever find it."_

Artemis chirred. " _Nests seem like a lot of work."_

" _I'd help,"_ Ffraid reminded her. " _Silk makes everything better."_

The gryphlet chirped. " _I suppose so."_

" _Look at all these quills,"_ Ari said, her attention shifting to a small table with quills, ink, and parchments.

The spider pounced one of the quills, spinning as the quill shifted in the cup it was resting in. " _Eee!"_

Ffraid jumped off, sliding down a piece of fabric and landed with a squeak on a hard box.

The box went flying and bonked Artemis on the head. She gave a disgruntled screech, glowering at the spider.

" _Sorry!"_ Ffraid squeaked.

The box, having come open at the hinges, spilled out a beautiful silver-wrought crown with a deep blue focal gem.

" _Whoa,_ " the spider said. " _Pretty._ "

The gryphlet reached out a talon towards it and then stopped. Her nostrils flared. " _That's evil."_

" _How can an object be evil?"_ the spider asked.

" _It— contains evil._ " The gryphlet sat down on her rump and her tail swished wildly.

The spider bounced on all her legs. " _Um, okay, I'll take your word for it."_

Ari didn't answer and just stared into space, seemingly lost in thought.

" _Harry! We have to get out of here!"_

" _Harry!"_

" _Goyle set the bloody place on fire!"_

 _A billowing cloud of black taint spewed from the enveloped diadem with an accompanying roar of rage._

 _Living, wrathful fire._

 _Heat unlike anything she'd ever felt._

 _Uncontrolled rage met uncontrolled fire._

" _ **HERMIONE!"**_

The gryphlet shook her head, confused.

A black mist crawled in around the objects, slithering around her, yet she found it comforting. It was not like the black cloud in her vision, no. This was a familiar feeling. Something warm, supportive.

The mist formed into the shape of a great black gryphon with a skull for a head. His eyes glowed like lanterns in the night. The beak parted.

"Hello, my daughter."

" _Father!"_ the gryphlet pounced, batting, pawing, and rubbing against him. He tolerated her antics with amusement.

"You have missed me?"

The gryphlet pecked him on the rump and grabbed his tail, pulling on it.

Death chuckled. "Such cheek."

His gaze fell upon the diadem with distaste. "I see you have found one of the Horcruxes— objects made specifically to defy me."

Artemis stared at it. " _I don't like it. It makes me see things. Horrible things."_

"Is is a thing made to preserve a soul, but ironically, it is not to preserve life."

The gryphlet pondered that, tail lashing in concentration.

"To preserve a soul, which is already eternal, is redundant," Death explained. "To fracture a soul in order to live forever is equally so—" Death's eyes glowed, changing from gold to red to an eerie blue flame. "To be immortal is a heavy burden of responsibility and duty. We are often forced to take on many faces, many roles— for time marches forward. Those who would be our friends age and leave us, and we must let them. Their time is short. Their lives ultimately meaningful."

"To make a Horcrux fractures a complete soul and forces a piece into an object. The idea is as long as that object remains intact, that person could never die." Death's eyes glowed, changing into a deep green. "But the truth is they _can_ still die, but they can never cross over again. Their spirit is suspended between, never living, never dying, never passing to the after and longing for the before. They become twisted, tortured, less than what they were. Should they manage to get a body again— either by forcing possession or some other unnatural magic, it will also die. The cycle would repeat over and over. But is that truly life? No."

The gryphlet pondered this. " _All of that in this thing?"_

"It is but one— there are others. If you pass your talons over it, you will feel its longing for the whole, never able to rejoin what was lost."

Artemis slowly reached out her talons, passing them over the diadem. The jolt of despair caused her to stagger backwards and sit hard on her tail, eyes very wide.

Death wrapped her in one wing, and she cuddled against him.

" _I don't like it."_

"No, child," Death said with sincere understanding. "Nor do I."

" _Can it be freed?"_

"Yes," Death replied, "but not in such a way that it can ever be a part of the whole soul again."

Ari pondered, her head down as she focused. " _So, in making a Horcrux, a person isn't really becoming immortal. They are just condemning themselves return over and over to die again."_

"Most will simply forever haunt the between, unable to return and unable to pass beyond."

" _Father?"_

"Hrm?"

" _Will I ever wear other shapes as you do?"_

The black gryphon seemed to smile. "Of course, my child."

"But, I'll still always be me, right?"

He preens her head feathers. "You've always been you, my child. You were not always ready to be Mine, just as you not ready to be other shapes just yet, but one day, just as you became my daughter, you will have other shapes to wear, personas to nurture, and stories of your own."

Ari concentrated very hard, her tail puffing out like a bottle brush. " _Father?"_

"Hrm?"

" _Can I have a hug?"_

Death chuckled as his body straightened into a humanoid form, then into the tall, skull-faced man. He removed the skull mask from his face like an attendee to a masquerade removing a disguise to reveal the youthful but distinctive face of Orion Black. "Is this what you wish, my child?"

Ari leapt into his arms and cuddled with him, answering his question with happy purrs and chirrs.

" _I like this face you wear the best,_ " she said.

Death chuckled. "You are far too clever, daughter."

The gryphlet puffed up. " _I'm your daughter. Of course I'm clever."_

Death pressed a kiss to her beak. "You are indeed. Let us destroy the taint in this object so you can bring it back to Hogwarts, where it belongs."

" _Yes, Father!"_ the gryphlet said in agreement, headbonking into his chin with enthusiasm.

Death's hand gently stroked her feathers as he smiled.

* * *

 _ **Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw Found**_

 _ **On Display at Museum of Wizarding History at the Ministry**_

The lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw was found at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and will be on display for a limited time at the Museum of Wizarding History housed at the Ministry. The display will be up until Autumn of next year. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see a piece of Wizarding History!

* * *

"What do you think this is, mate?"

"No idea, Pads. My mum has had it hidden up here for years."

"Looks like one of those old Muggle family albums. They fill them with photos and clippings."

"Not everyone burns their family tree into the wall, Pads," James said.

The two wizards hushed as they heard movement below them. They made meaningful eyebrows at each other as they pantomimed silencing each other.

"Goodnight boys," James' mother called.

James and Sirius pointed their wands to their throats, casting a voice projection spell.

"Night mum."

"Goodnight, Mrs Potter."

Their voices sounded off from downstairs.

They heard her going down the stairs for the night.

Sirius cast a _Lumos_ on the end of his wand as they continued to poke at the old album, casting all sorts of spells on it, but nothing seemed to open it.

As Sirius cursed as he cut himself on an edge of one of the photographs, his finger dripping crimson onto the cover of the album by accident as he tried to flick the blood away.

The album shuddered and opened.

"The _hell_ , mate?" James breathed. "Why does your blood open my mum's album?"

"How the hell should _**I**_ know? Maybe it just wants _**blood!"**_

James seemed a bit dubious but curiosity reigned supreme. They hurriedly went through the pages to find out what was so secret that his mother would seal the book with blood magic.

Everything was sort of pushed to the side until James found a page of family tree branches. "Hey, there's my mum, Euphemia," he said pointing. "And my dad, Fleamont and his father, Henry."

"Who the hell names their son Fleamont?"

James shrugged. "Dad said it was Henry's mother's dying wish to see her maiden name not fall into obscurity."

Sirius mumbled something about some names belonging in obscurity.

James shrugged. "I do love my dad, but I'm glad I just call him dad."

"Odd, this—" James pointed to a branch off his mother's tree. "There's my name under dad and her— but there is this other branch that leads off to a— half sister, Dolores Umbridge? And that sister was with..." He trailed off, squinting.

"Cygnus Black?"

"No way, that's my uncle."

"There is a child here but it was. There is a squiggle."

"Adopted? What's the name?"

"The ink is all overlapped."

"What was that spell Flitwick taught us when we accidentally spilt ink all over our parchments?"

James pointed his wand at the splotch and muttered something.

The concealing ink seemed to be sucked up into the wand, leaving the pristine name behind.

 _Sirius Cygnus Harcourt Fenton Cracknell-Black_

" _ **WHAT?! I was shagging my own half-sister?!"**_ came slightly before, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WAS ADOPTED?!"

"What the _**FUCK**_ , mate?!" James yelped, his green eyes wide with horror, but not as horrified as they became when Euphemia Potter suddenly appeared in the attic, her wand brightly lit to illuminate her way. Then her gaze fell upon her son, his best friend, and the violated family album.

Sirius went pushing past her as he rushed down the stairs and the sound of his violent retching was heard shortly after.

"Why didn't you ever _**tell**_ me, mum?" James blurted.

Euphemia sighed. "I can't talk about it."

"I want to _**know!**_ "

Euphemia clenched her jaw. "I _**cannot**_ speak of it!" She waved her wand and all the pictures and album snapped together, threw themselves into a trunk, and then slammed into the far wall only to be covered by a pile of other things. "Get out of this attic and take care of your friend."

"My _**cousin**_ , you mean."

Euphemia's magic flared dangerously. "Go to bed, James. _**Now.**_ " Her magic was gathered so suddenly and so powerfully that James went flying down the stairs and into his room in a movement like the wind.

Then the door slammed shut behind him.

* * *

"Get out of my way, _Snivellus_ ," Sirius snarled as he pushed into the house.

Sirius stormed into the house and went directly towards the garden. He didn't stop until he walked right up to the dark-haired man who was snoozing on a garden hammock run between two large trunks.

"Is it _**TRUE?!**_ " he demanded.

Orion, who had been peacefully napping until that point, opened his eyes. "Yes, the sky is really blue, my son."

"Is it _**true**_ that I am not your son?! I've been treated like _**shite**_ all this time because I wasn't your flesh and blood?"

Orion swung his legs around and stood up. "You are my son."

" _ **Bullshite!**_ I _**saw**_ the album! I _**saw**_ the tree! I'm _**Cygnus'**_ son!"

"I assure you that the adoption magic we used to save your life from Cygnus' knife was assuredly quite real."

" _ **What?"**_

"Do you really believe that someone like Cygnus would allow a child born out of wedlock to live if it could be linked back to him? He went to great lengths to suppress the very event, and only my adopting you kept him from smothering you in the crib. Your mother, Walburga, begged me to save you from infanticide."

"That's impossible."

"Improbable, yes. Impossible, no." Orion was calm, his face hardly even moved save to speak.

"That's what you've treated me like a second class citizen in this family. It was because I wasn't really yours!"

"My son, I assure you that any treatment you have been given was earned by your actions, not for reasons you chose to make up."

" You locked me up in my room like a _**prisoner**_."

"You were trying to go to Bellatrix."

"She _**always**_ treated me better than you!"

"To placate your ego and play to her sadistic whims."

"She _**loved**_ me, and you locked me in my room until she was married!"

"She was your half-sister!"

"You never _**told**_ me!"

"It should not have mattered!" Orion said, his voice a bare whisper, yet it seemed to fill the garden and echo back. "I warned you to stay away from her, and you insisted on denying everything I ever asked of you, so I stopped asking and started demanding instead, hoping you would not bed her and end up binding yourself back into their twisted branch of the family tree!"

Sirius looked ready to explode when his shocked eyes suddenly took in the sight of an unnervingly familiar one-handed female gargoyle spewing turquoise water into a huge fountain filled with colourful koi.

" _ **Bella—?"**_ he blurted. He clutched at his shaggy hair and pulled at it, his body tense like a tightly-coiled spring. He pulled out his wand in a flash, pointing it at his father. His face was twisted with insanity. "She was _**right**_ about you!"

He started to cast a spell when a black blur slammed into his head, a golden one snatched his wand, and another black blur hit him in the stomach with astonishing force.

Sirius went flying into the hammock, swirled around, and was wrapped tight as one rainbow-black spider sealed the hammock into a snug cocoon.

Orion sighed as he took the wand from the golden gryphlet's beak, rubbing her head crest with affection. "I had hoped to spare you the insanity of Cygnus' magical line by keeping you from it, but despite everything I tried, you willingly bound yourself back into their line by bedding your own half-sister. From then, your magic began to twist and drain out until both it and your mind were hallucinating realities as clear as mud. Had you but waited, as both I and your mother begged of you, to wait until you were seventeen before considering witches to bind yourself to, your magic would have been sealed and independent, able to resist unhealthy bindings and keep you safe. Perhaps I should have seen that was impossible when you conjured a portal to the void in the house and when Bellatrix showed up in our sitting room very nude despite having moved and warded the house seven times over."

Orion took in a deep breath. "This is _your_ doing. More than thrice you have willfully defied me. Thrice you have threatened me in my own home with magic, and more than thrice you have deliberately brought disgrace to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. I will protect you no more. I will shelter you no more. I will break bread with you no more. You will be gone from my house henceforth until the day you can appreciate the gifts you have been given and apologise to those you have offended," he said with a pause, "and _mean_ it."

Orion's face tightened. "And should you draw your wand at any member of this House that is not in self-defence, I will strike you from our family tree, and may magic fail you just when you need it most."

He turned to the trio. "Take him to Wales and St Dymphna's and tell them I retract all permissions for his ability to visit anyone outside on holidays until his time there is complete." For a moment, his eyes seemed to glow, but then it was gone.

He turned to his eldest son. "Begone from my sight. I cannot even stand to look at you now."

With that Orion Black stormed back into the house, and the winged trio tackled the challenge of carrying the hammock full of Sirius off to Wales. They sank their talons, paws, and claws into the webbing and beat their wings together, taking to the air high enough to be well clear of anything and then disappeared from sight.

* * *

While the trio had come back to Hogwarts a few times during the Christmas holidays to mingle with the Tenebras herd, returning for the resumption of classes was both a relief and filled with a new set of stresses.

News of Sirius Black's forced return to St Dymphna's had somehow already spread throughout the school, and many wondered none too quietly who else was going down with him.

Further talk of magical bonds spread like any rumours, rife with speculation mixed with partial truths. Witches who had had the history of being one of Sirius Black's girlfriends were beginning to either panic that they were never going to be able to marry or prematurely reveal that they were now a member of the House of Black via being bound to their lover in magic.

Worse, an up and coming reporter by the moniker "Nightshade", the like of Rita Skeeter, had managed to publish an expose that revealed the certain fact that Sirius Black had _not_ been born the son of Orion Black.

Regulus suspected it was one of the fellow delinquents at St Dymphna's that had started the entire fiasco, but proof was not easy to come by. Fortunately they didn't have to waste any time finding the culprit, as the wrath of Cygnus Black had come down like a hammer to a nail. Despite the bad press he was getting for being unfaithful, he utterly destroyed the boy, his family, his relatives, and everyone connected him by making his family pariahs in every way. They had no home, no jobs, no connections, and no one who would give them succour, lest they, to, be black-balled and ruined.

Rumour had it they had fled to another country. Whether they had made it or not remained to be seen. They had either been hunted down and destroyed by other families or had succeeded in going deep underground.

"I think our cousin Andromeda may have smuggled "Nightshade's" family out to Den Helder to some sympathisers who specialise in helping ship out refugees to other places by sea. Maybe across the pond. Maybe way south or even way north to Norway. Rumour has it that a Wizarding refugee colony was founded in Svalbard in the remains of an old Muggle whaling base, so if they are lucky, they will allow them to settle there. It may be harder for them since their son is a known actual troublemaker— but then again, causing trouble can get you dead that far north."

"It amazes me that such extensive escape networks even exist," Severus said. "If you listened to most people talk, there is no life beyond Britain once you are cast out."

"They are just lucky our uncle is busy defending himself against the situation with Sirius. If he wasn't, he would have destroyed them completely. The entire family would have turned up dead or not at all—"

"All that for the actual _truth_?"

"Cygnus has done far worse for lies," Regulus said darkly. "He disowned our cousin Andromeda for falling in love with a Muggle. Only his wife knowing where he sleeps kept him from actually killing her for the offense."

Severus shuddered.

"I think, well, I suspect, that the reason Uncle Cygnus' wife isn't insane is because he _did_ sleep around with other women— so their marriage is not magical. She's not as insane as the rest of the family. In a way— Cygnus unwittingly did her a favour. If it got out that Cygnus isn't magically bonded to his wife, then it would be proof that he was unfaithful or didn't save himself for his arranged marriage. Now if _that_ gets out, any and all credibility he has will be destroyed. He'd probably lose his title, and then there are is the support of the pureblood families that he'd undoubtedly lose. Not that they are perfect either, but they want everyone to think they are, so they would shun him to protect themselves from the same scrutiny."

"You're right," Severus said. "Your pureblood politics are mental."

Regulus laughed. "Yeah— it's a real drama. And now it's _your_ pureblood politics as well."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Please," he said, holding up his hand like Lucius Malfoy was known to do.

"See, you have it down already." Regulus winked.

"That Cygnus has the time and funds to ruin an entire family while fighting his own legal battles is pretty hard to fathom," Severus boggled.

"He may be completely mental, brother, but he's mental with very deep pockets— however," Regulus trailed off. "He may not be as financially well off as he would like everyone to think."

"How so?"

"If he did spend money keeping Sirius' adoption quiet— that's almost twenty years worth of galleons. Then there is—" Regulus' eyes widened. "That's if he's only had Sirius. What if there are others?"

Severus blinked at that. "I've heard of not being able to keep it in your pants, but wouldn't that be suicidal for one's reputation?"

"Yes, but— if he's already mental and you add in simple arrogance," Regulus said.

Severus shuddered.

" _ **Skkurp?"**_

The gryphlet pounced his lap and then proceeded to pluck the pigeon she had caught— in his lap and getting feathers everywhere.

Severus looked down and sighed. "Really?"

 _ **CHIRR!**_

Regulus snort-chuckled. "It's love."

Severus gave Regulus that look that said a great many things, most of them dire threats.

Regulus smiled, pretending to be unaffected but secretly plotting a fast escape just in case things went to the gryphons.

Foop!

A golden and ebony gryphlet pounced Regulus together, sending him flying across the common room onto his back before he could shift and escape.

Meanwhile, the rest of Slytherin didn't even bat an eye as Regulus went down hard in a cloud of gryphlets and pigeon feathers.

Horace Slughorn looked up from his writing desk as a loud thump caught his attention. He walked out of his room into the Slytherin Common Room and found Regulus Black supine and covered with pigeon feathers. The Common Room was strangely empty and silent.

"Mr Black? Are you okay?"

"Perfectly," Regulus answered, spitting out a stray pigeon feather.

"Well, _do_ clean up the mess when you're done, Mr Black. I know you have odd feline instincts here and there, but next time chase your animals outside, please."

"Yes, sir."

Horace walked back into his room.

 _ **Th-THUMP**_!

He walked back out to see Regulus on his stomach with even _more_ feathers on top of him.

"Do you require assistance, Mr Black?"

"I'll be fine, sir," Regulus said, blowing his hair and more feathers out of his face.

As Slughorn moved back into his chambers, two gryphlets with shining eyes watched him go.

Regulus wiggled.

 _ **POUNCE!POUNCE!**_

 _ **Th-THUMP-thump!**_

Horace Slughorn just poured himself another drink and ate a piece of candied pineapple.

"Blacks are bloody _nuts_ ," he muttered, going back to grading his papers.

* * *

Jingle, jingle, jingle.

Bounce, bounce, bounce.

Two gryphlets tore down the empty halls of Hogwarts on a mission. They dashed out into the snow, plunging through the drifts towards a small column of smoke.

They bounded off towards the shelter with abandon, chirring and chattering to each other as they went. The door opened as they approached, and Firenze welcomed them in.

"Hello. I see you are both quite full of mischief tonight."

Double chirring answered the centaur as the two gryphlets pounced the second set of bedding Firenze kept for them to share.

The centaur put up the scrolls he was keeping and used the wash basin, briskly toweling himself off.

"I really have to say, the charmed waterfall and bathing pool is a very welcome piece of home," Firenze said. "I appreciate that you did not try to give me a human-style shower."

Ari sneezed in commentary. Firenze put a hand on her head and smiled.

He settled into the sleeping area, folding his legs under him. "I appreciate having members of the herd with me. It is hard to sleep sometimes when the sounds of others are not there to reassure you."

Ari and Severus nestled up between his legs and against his warm belly. The centaur pulled the sleeping furs over himself and them and closed his eyes.

… even as one tardy winged jaguar slunk in and nestled in with them.

* * *

" _Harrrrry Potter…"_

 _A man with a snake-like face and red eyes glared—_

" _... is dead."_

" _ **NO!"**_

" _Harry!"_

 _A crowd of black-clad wizards and witches in silver masks laughed…_

 _...and laughed…_

* * *

" _You can't possibly want to go back to teach at Hogwarts, 'Mione," a heavily freckled flaming red-head with an equally red face blurted, spewing tiny bits of half-masticated sausage in her face as he spoke. "You got a decent enough Ministry job. You're making good money. It's stable. You're set and ready to settle down—"_

" _Ronald, I have no intention of staying in a dead-end job with no opportunity for advancement because I don't fit their idea of normal," Hermione said. "At Hogwarts, I can at least teach the next generation to know better."_

" _You can do that by teaching OUR kids!"_

 _Hermione's eyes went wide with shock as her face drained of all colour. "What did you just say?"_

" _Well, it's only natural innit, Mione?" Ron said blithely. "We've been together for years. It's time to settle down. Start working on a big family of our own before you get too old, yeah?"_

 _Hermione's fists clenched. " I came here to share that I'd finally made my decision regarding a career, and you make it all about you and your plans to have me popping out a Quidditch team of babies for you. It was_ _ **never**_ _about us."_

" _Don't be like that, 'Mione," Ron said patronisingly. "I know you fancied me or you wouldn't have been so mad about that whole silly thing in the forest!"_

" _I grew up, Ronald," Hermione bit out. "Whatever fancies I may have had as a hormone-addled teenager couldn't stand up to time and reality."_

" _Whut?"_

" _It won't work, Ronald. I care for you—"_

" _Then let's get married, yeah!"_

" _Mar—_ _ **NO!"**_

" _What do you_ _ **mean**_ _, no? Harry's been married three years now. He's on to his second kid. We need to get a move on!"_

" _Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Hermione's hair was standing straight up and fury flashed in her eyes. She stood up and stormed over to the door of the Burrow. She opened the door and exposed a very pregnant Lavender Brown. "Look, Lavender here really needs to talk to you, Ronald, and I think you definitely need to hear what she has to say. We've already spoken."_

 _Hermione closed the door behind her as she walked out into the warm summer rain of St Ottery Catchpole before the crack of her Disapparation carried her away._

* * *

Artemis opened her eyes and slowly to find Firenze stirring a pot of stew over the fire.

"Good morning, She-Who-Pounces," Firenze said, picking up the gryphlet and snuggling her.

 _ **Chrrrik**_!

He soothed her feathers, setting her on the nearby table. "Your companions had to go to class. They said to stay out of trouble."

Ari scowled, eyes narrowing.

Firenze laughed. "Your dreams open doorways, hrm?"

Artemis chirped.

"You can speak with me, if you so wish," Firenze said.

The gryphlet got a look of concentration on her face. " _You understood me before."_

Firenze smiled. "I try not to push. If you are ready, I am here to listen."

" _My dreams are strange."_

"Dreams or memories?"

" _They feel like nightmares._ "

"Do they feel real?"

" _They feel— like I'm someone else."_

"Do they ever change? The dreams?"

" _No. Sometimes they are different scenes, but they repeat."_

"That seems like a memory."

" _Why remember something so awful?"_

"To appreciate what you have and be more inspired to defend it."

Artemis cocked her head. " _That seems fair."_

Firenze smiled.

Artemis seemed thoughtful, even as she rubbed up against Firenze and manoeuvred her head under his hand for the perfect scratch. " _Hermione. That was the name they called me. In every dream."_

"Do you feel it is your name?"

The gryphlet cocked her head, pausing to relieve Firenze of some chunks of his stew. " _It was. Like— it was a coat of feathers, but I molted them all away."_

The centaur smiled. "Is it not the nature of your lineage to have many faces, many shapes?"

" _You know Father t_ he gryphlet chirped.

Firenze chuckled. "By a different face. Different name, yes."

Artemis sighed, yawning wide.

"I'm glad you know him. He has the warmest hands."

Firenze picked her up and snuggled her, and the gryphlet purred her approval. " _You have warm hugs. I like that."_

"I am glad this is so," Firenze said. "To the herd and to me, you will always be She-Who-Pounces."

Artemis fluffed herself with pleasure. " _I like that."_

He soothed her feathers. "If they are true memories, do not think that they define you now. Think of them as signposts of where you once were. And— if they were akin to nightmares— think of them as where you don't want to be."

Ari's tail bapped into Firenze's side. " _Okay."_

With that, the gryphlet relieved the centaur of another spoonful of stew and then bounded out the shelter's door.

" _Thanks!_ " she said, disappearing off into the morning sunlight.

Firenze chuckled to himself, sipping his stew. "You are quite welcome, She-Who-Pounces, Desmondon-kai. As the true daughter of Death, you bring life to the Ancient Ways. I shall revel in this irony as any who dare oppose you will undoubtedly fall."

* * *

Ari rubbed up against the gargoyle, scratching at its itchy skin for him before trotting up the stairs to the Headmasters office.

Her dreams were trying to tell her something, but she wasn't quite sure what.

Was that—

 _FOOP!_

She stalked in stealth the rest of the way up, listening, scenting for anything out of place.

She smelled the tang of citrus and the distinctive scent of the elder wizard that inhabited the place. As she padded into the room, she saw no one. She immediately went to a place on the wall, her paws touching the empty place where a frame would go.

 _Brooding again, Miss Granger?_

 _Not brooding, Professor._

 _What brings you to my lonely frame? Surely not pity._

 _I just thought you might like some company._

 _The portrait snorted. Don't be absurd._

 _Well, if it doesn't matter to you, then you won't mind if I sit here and read awhile._

 _She's got you there, Severus, one of the other portraits chuckled._

 _So help me, I_ _ **will**_ _find a way to expose your frame to paint solvent, Phineas._

 _Tck. Touchy._

Ari shook her head. Severus? Softhands?

But so much older…

Lonely.

Kindness well-hidden under a prickly exterior.

Ari thumped her talons against the empty space, her emotions conflicted. Softhands was kind. He did not hide from her. The man in the portrait made her sad. While he did not hide, he hid his emotions like a statue.

 _Stupid girl._

 _Why must you be such a know-it-all, Miss Granger?_

 _I see no difference._

Ari shook her head, chirring in acute distress. She ran away from the wall, bumped into a globe, startled herself, flew up, smashed into Fawkes' brass perch swing, and cling to it, chirping her distress.

As her feathers and fur slowly soothed back down, she flopped onto the nearby desk and sniffed around. The bowl of black candies shivered at her approach, making their escape out of the bowl to hide in the bookshelf. She eyed them with curiosity, but they didn't smell very enticing, so she left them well alone. She stuffed her beak into another bowl, her tongue darting out to lick one of the round yellow things inside. She backpedaled, trying to escape the tart flavour that made her tongue go numb.

Odd, the ones she had liberated from the desk the last time she was in there weren't quite so sour. Maybe he switched snacks?

Something caught her attention. Something that seemed so _familiar—_

She stalked toward the other room, finding bookshelves, a bed, more desks, and a few armchairs.

She sniffed around, following the pull.

Her body seemed attracted to something familiar, and she allowed it to guide her.

There!

Something was over there.

The gryphlet eyed the hand of the snoring wizard. Only his hand was exposed from under the fluffy duvet— that and his pointed sleeping cap. She crept by it and snuffled at the nightstand.

 _Oooo!_

The gryphlet perked. Her Lord Father's presence pulsed strongly from the object laying there.

Well… it wasn't stealing if it belonged to her Father in the first place, right? That's what he wanted her to do: fix things.

She _liked_ fixing things.

She wrapped her beak around the wand and trotted out the door, back out the office, down the stairs, rubbed up against the gargoyle again, and then bounced down the hallways at full tilt.

Jingle. Jingle.

By the time her paws reached the softer and cooler ground, she let out a puff of white breath in the much colder winter air. While deep drifts of snow had coated everything, she liked this particular area because of its bounciness— the way it let her frolic about without feeling hard on her feet.

She waited, her tail lashing back and forth in lazy figure eights.

Soft and warm hands scooped her up.

 _ **EEE!**_

Oh, it was Softhands.

She rumbled and snuggled into him.

"What are you doing out here, Artemis?"

 _Waiting._

"Waiting for what?" He didn't seem to even realise he was replying to her non-verbal reply.

 _For Father._

They waited together, silently. He pressed his nose into her warm feathers, and she revelled in how wonderful it felt.

"I'd wait forever, if it was with you," he said, barely a whisper.

Ari looked up at him with warm honey-gold eyes.

" _You are stuck with me,"_ she chirred fondly. " _Your hands are soft and warm. Your heart is gentle but strong, even though you do your best to hide it. I never want to see you old and bitter, trapped in aching loneliness. I will be at your side until the end— if you wish it._

Severus pressed his head to the top of her beak. "How could I _not_ wish to be with you until the end?"

" _Because I am my Father's daughter."_

Severus frowned. "Whyever would that matter?"

"Because her Father's line is— rather _unique_ ," a low voice rumbled, seemingly from everywhere.

Severus' eyes went very wide as a pool of shadow rose up before him. The snow melted as the cold in the air disappeared. The darkness swirled, forming into a giant skull-headed gryphon who then rose even taller into a humanoid shape. The bleached skull of a humanoid seemed to gleam out from the void of the being's concealing hood. Glowing, flame-like eyes stared out from the darkened sockets.

" _ **Father!"**_ the gryphlet cried, leaping into his arms.

To Severus' astonished horror and surprise, the image of nightmare swirled her around and snuggled her, just as he himself would, pressing his skull against her forehead.

" _I brought you your fancy stick, Father,_ " the gryphlet said.

Bone hands plucked the wand from her beak. "Ahhh, now this takes me back, truly, to a time long ago, when a test of faith was broken thrice."

" _A story?_ " The gryphlet perked visibly. " _I love stories!"_

The skull-face turned to Severus. "And does your beloved also wish to hear a story?"

Severus gulped. "I wouldn't mind a story."

A soft hissing came from the figure, and Severus realised it was laughter.

"Did I—" Severus began.

"No, I simply amused myself in that you admit, unconsciously or not, that you are her beloved."

Severus flinched, confused to the feelings he had and unable to identify them.

"Do you know who I am, child?" the figure asked, his voice like silk.

Severus fidgeted. "I will admit you look a lot like the Grim Reaper."

The dark spectre laughed. He ruffled the gryphlet. "What do you think, my daughter?"

Skrrurp!

The gryphlet forwent words and headbonked the being's face.

"I go by many names, child, but I think the most common one is Death."

Severus paled, flashes of strange, disjointed memories of a gryphon that walked on two legs— something that seemed more a dream than reality.

Death sat down on a nearby log in such a human manner that it was disarming in its normality.

"I will tell you a story," he said, his bone hands caressing the gryphlet's head and back. "It is a story with a beginning but an end that is yet to be written."

* * *

 _Long ago, when there was only one world, and magic lived side-by-side with those that both could and could not sense it, there were three brothers who resolved to trek into the world between worlds and bring back proof of the afterlife so they could ease the suffering of those who have lost loved ones to death._

 _As they travelled, however, it became clear that each brother had a different idea of what they would bring back. One wished to bring back the power of the afterlife to prove that it existed. One wished to bring back the power to free the dead from the afterlife and bring them back to the living world. The last brother wished only to bring back a flower that grew in the fields of Elysium to calm his sister, who dearly missed her mother._

 _As the three brothers trekked through many places, walked on many roads, they found themselves finally at the border between worlds, and beyond that lay the inbetween, where it was said Death guarded the passage of the once-living to that which lay beyond._

 _They found a great chasm where deep, churning water rushed below and no bridge spanned to the land beyond. But these were no ordinary folk, they were wizards. They used their magic to create a bridge, uprooting a great tilting it, using their magic to make it grow into a great bridge that grew from the land of the living to the land beyond. One brother uprooted the tree, the other directed water to feed the roots, while the other packed the base with earth and made sure the roots were strong enough to keep the bridge alive._

 _They congratulated themselves on being so terribly clever— having defeated what so many skeletons down below had not. They strut across the bridge with confidence, convinced that they were already better for having outwitted the chasm with their magic._

 _When they reached the end of the bridge, however, they were greeted by none other than Death. He was angry— angry that his chasm had been violated by the arrogance of mortals. Yet, even so, he was curious as to the heart of these three mortals. What sort of people would brave such a long journey and outwit all the pitfalls where so many others had undoubtedly failed?_

 _In order to test the mortal invaders, he pretended to praise them for their cunning and guile and offered them but one boon._

 _The first brother wished for the most powerful wand, believing that only with the most power could he convince the world that the afterlife was not something to be feared._

 _The second brother wished for a way to bring a loved one back into the sight of the living, stating that with evidence that people never truly died that surely their fellows would be more accepting._

 _The third brother, however, wished to be able to travel freely back and forth between the realms without restriction and that he would be able to bring back indisputable proof of paradise to his sister._

 _Death, being bound to his word, gave the first brother a wand from the elder tree. To the second, he picked up a smooth black stone from the riverbed and gave it to him, having blown upon it to imbue it with the power over the barriers between the living the dead. To the third brother, he ripped off piece of his cloak and crafted another cloak._

 _But even as he gave the trio their boons, he warned them that if their intentions were not as pure as they claimed, if they meant to use them only to benefit themselves rather than for the good of all, that the powers they commanded would ultimately fail them._

 _And so the three brothers, believing themselves victorious, returned to the human world._

 _It was not long after the brothers returned that the first brother had his second meeting with Death, but not as an equal. He had boasted of his unbeatable wand, had been slain and the elder wand stolen._

 _Only a short time after that, the second brother met Death again, having been driven to take his own life by the inability to embrace the shade of his deceased fiancée._

 _The third brother, having attempted multiple times to convince his sister that his gifts from Death were truly from the beyond, began to question if his motives had been truly selfless after all. He donned the cloak and hastily retreated away from the spotlight of fame and glory, to the embrace of his well-hidden family and his beloved wife and sons. He disappeared into the annals of history— the man whose life was just as elusive as he was. He died, but even then, the greatest secret he bestowed to a son, fearing that if Death should ever reclaim his cloak, that his eternal reward in the afterlife would be forfeit._

 _And so, Death did wait, hoping that one of the lines of the three brothers would return the items and redeem themselves and their lines to antiquity, but decades and centuries passed. The items never returned._

 _Throughout the ages, the stories change. The items became known the Deathly Hallows, rumoured to make the one who had them all the Master of Death, but the truth was that Death was waiting for a sign that he had been promised._

 _But what that sign he was waiting for was a mystery._

* * *

Severus looked at Death as the spectre soothed the feathers on the young gryphlet's head. He realised, in that very moment, that Death had been _lonely_ , waiting the eons for some sign that only he knew.

Well, he wasn't the descendant of the three brothers, but—

Severus pulled out a shrunken cloak from his inner pocket— the spoils of war, so to speak, between he and the Marauders. He tapped it with his wand.

" _Engorgio."_

Swallowing hard, and hoping that Death would not fault him for keeping it as long as he had (not that he would have known what to do with it before then), he extended the cloak out to the spectre.

"This belongs to you, I believe."

Death, his eyes changing to a calm, blue flame, stared at him.

"You would give me this, having never used it, knowing what it could do?"

"It is not mine to keep," Severus said quietly. "It was long used to torment me. The further it is from me, the better."

Death gently pulled the cloak to himself, and with one fond caress, he placed it against his tattered cloak—

It was whole again.

"And what would you ask of Death, child?" Death asked. His skullface did not move, but his flame eyes flickered from blue to yellow.

Severus looked at Artemis, who was drowsily lying on her back to allow maximum rubbing of her exposed belly. The thought of his once broken family, the Marauders, and last of all— Lily.

"I wish—" Severus began, his nails digging into his palms. "I wish to help you find the last and final Hallow that you may be at peace and find whatever sign you have been waiting for. I know longing well enough. To imagine it being so for as long as you have— I cannot."

Death gave a hissing laugh, his jaws parting with an unnerving look. He picked up the gryphlet and rubbed his skull against her head. "Oh, my most beloved daughter. Look at what you have done. Not only have you delivered unto me what I had waited so very long for— a selfless wish for things to be as they were meant to be— but you have given me a daughter, delivered to me my Hallows save one, and marched up another who offers of himself in selfless wish. Not to help himself, his past, his pains, his vengeance— but to help me find what has been long lost to me."

The gryphlet purr-chirred, wriggling her legs happily at his caress, obviously not caring in the slightest that "dad" was intimidating in the extreme without even trying.

"Is she really—"

"Does it seem so hard to believe that Death would have a daughter?"

Severus slumped a little. "No, I mean— I'll lose her then." His face was twisted in unmistakable despair.

Artemis was suddenly in his lap, bonking her head into his hand and then placing her talons on his chest as her tongue pegged him on the chin, cheek, and nose.

"Why would you think that?" Death asked curiously. "She has chosen you. She is devoted to you."

"But, she's your daughter—"

"She is my daughter, not my mate. She fills a space inside me that has not be filled in a long time, but she does not leave it to be with you. To one such as I— and now to one such as her— we can appreciate multiple facets. Do you think that since I am sitting here with you that all death around the world simply ceases?"

Severus blinked.

Death chuckled. "It _is_ hard to believe for a being who does not make a habit of living in more than three dimensions. I am here, therefore I cannot also be there. Yes?"

Severus nodded a bit dazedly.

Death scritched under the gryphlet's chin with one bony finger. "She is both young and impressionable, experienced and powerful, here and small, there and grown. She was once a baby, but she was also a brave veteran of a terrible and extended war." He rubbed her ears tenderly. "All these things exist simultaneously for those of my Get."

Death stood, his eyes switching to a bright green balefire. "I live in the place between life and death can be a lonely, solitary life. That is something I would never wish on someone as cherished as she. He tickled the end of her tail, and she squawked and opened her beak wide, feigning an attack on his bony fingers. "Could you leave behind your entire known world, your name, your rediscovered family in the service of mine— a thankless life more often than recognised?"

Severus looked down at the gryphlet in his lap. For a moment, many faces flashed before him. A gryphlet, a gryphoness, a child, a teen, a haunted adult, a witch surrounded in scrolls and books, a teacher— a fearsome spectre with a gryphon skull for a head.

He touched her head, his expression softening. "All I have now is directly because of her. I will never leave her. To be alone. The House of Black will persevere as ever— and Father— he would understand. This is my choice. I would gladly bind myself to your service, but I would hope she would accept my presence beside her for the journey."

One bundle of happy, fluffy gryphlet promptly pounced his chest, making odd, joyful percolating noises, chirps, and repeatedly smacking her leonine tail into his face.

Death's skull seemed to glow. He extended his hand, the bones creaking as the fingerbones splayed open. "This is forever. You can say no. No one will fault you for it. You can take your time. There is no pressure, no expectation."

Severus pressed his forehead to the gryphlet's, feeling the flow of her warmth and the song of the magic that flowed like a great river beneath her skin. _Will you have me, my Lady?_

The gryphlet's intent golden eyes locked with his. She clamped her beak over his nose as her tongue brushed between his eyes. _I chose you,_ she said confidently. _Of course I would want you with me._

Her voice seemed everywhere, like an echo inside his head, yet it was clear and feminine, confident but warm as well. _I would walk with you throughout the generations. Throughout time. Throughout life. I would welcome you into my heart as I welcome you into my journey. Between this world and the beyond under the gaze of my Father, gladly I would share my journey as long as that someone was you."_

Severus looked up at Death, his dark eyes glimmering with resolve. "I accept this fate of my own free will. Many times, I have had no choice, no end, no life that was truly my own, but I make this choice of my own free will."

Death's eyes glowed as Severus' palm and fingers met with his. Death moved his head down and pressed a kiss to Severus' forehead. A glowing mark appeared on his skin and then sank beneath the flesh before disappearing. "Welcome then, to the lonely path, if not so lonely as it once was. To a family who wears many faces, plays many roles, and yet has only one true purpose. We are the caretakers of the boundary between life and death, the balance that must be kept, those whose time is not yet, and those whose allotted time has come to an end."

He ran one phalange down Severus' arm, removing a bone with painless precision. He then took his own and replaced it, blowing upon the arm to make it resize and heal. With a casual flick, he replaced his arm bone with Severus'.

"Welcome to the Family once more, my son," Death said, the tone of indefinable amusement rumbling in the air. "Do you need a moment, or shall we discuss where the last Hallow resides?"

Severus found himself staring at the human face of Death— one Orion Black.

He slumped backwards with a solid thump.

"Too soon?" Death asked, petting the gryphlet on the head.

 _ **Chirrrskrp!**_

Ffraid popped out of Artemis' feathers. _Does he need a pillow?_

Death chuckled, a strangely warm and clarion sound. "I suppose so, little one."

Ffraid hopped to work, happily embracing her newest task.

* * *

 **A/N:** So… tired… I just want to crawl into a bed and hibernate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Beta Love:** The Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01, Flyby Commander Shepard, and the Wayward Crazy Mishka

 **Trigger Warning:** Scene of abuse within, sorry.

* * *

 **Feather, Beak and Claw**

 **Chapter Four**

Another AU Crackfic by Corvus Draconis

A gift for The Dragon and the Rose

 _Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation._

 _ **Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu**_

Two happy gryphlets blazed a crazy trail through the woods, leaves and snow flying in all directions as they played together, chasing each other's tails as they pushed towards a mutual destination. They chirred and chirped and made a rollicking fracas only to bounce and pounce each other in play. Their bodies glowed, shifting into a larger, more mature form only to return again to the smaller body.

Suddenly they skidded to a halt, sniffing the air. Then they took off together full tilt, for once preferring the thrill of the chase on the ground to the freedom of flight.

 _ **Chirrp?**_

 _ **Chrriirrirr!**_

They bounce-pounced along until they reached a small clearing in the woods, or at least what might have been one before it became completely overgrown. The two gryphlets clacked their beaks together before staring up at what looked like an old tree that had fallen over a ramshackle house. The roof was badly damaged and plants were growing in and out of the house's remains. The wall was somewhat erect, but there were large pieces missing. The window was open with rusty hinged shutters that were hanging by a thread.

The gryphlets sniffed the air and warble-growled to each other. Slowly they walked towards the building, cautiously padding through the snow and leaves. The surrounding conifers littered the forest floor with a dense layer of needles, and they pair seemed terribly suspicious.

Severus picked up a pinecone and chucked it with his beak, and a log swung down from higher up in front of them.

The gryphlets exchanged nervous chirrs, neither wanting to end up in a situation where their father would have to rescue them while they were out on their very first combined mission.

Ari stood stiffly, her body glowing. Then her long tail lashed, and a powerful gust of wind blasted through the clearing, blowing away the ground cover, leaves, branches, snow, and loose stones out of the area, instantly creating a clear path to the shelter.

Severus eyed her, tail lashing. _Show off._

The golden gryphlet nuzzled him in response. _You could do it too._

 _I think you did overkill_ , he said, chirping.

They continued to skulk along, their bellies close to the ground, and then jumped a few feet into the air as a black blur of fur and feathers zoomed over their heads and slammed straight into the fallen tree trunk with a loud _**thump**_.

Regulus lay unconscious on the cold ground, having slightly misjudged his rapid descent through the forest canopy.

The two gryphlets crept up to him at a faster pace, still not sure if any falling logs were waiting for them. They nuzzled and nosed him, checking to make sure he was still breathing.

Severus sighed.

 _Even when we do our best to keep him out of danger, he never fails to find and fly face first right into it, the bloody idiot,_ Severus muttered, smacking Regulus soundly upside the head with his front talons.

When Regulus still didn't rouse, Ffraid hopped out of Ari's neck feathers wielding a small silver bucket and splashed Regulus square in the face with ice-cold water.

Regulus sputtered awake.

" _ **Gah!"**_

Regulus moaned, shivering now in his human form, unable to maintain his Animagus form.

Severus changed into his human form, taking Regulus by the collar. "Are you incapable of staying out of trouble, brother?"

Ari pecked Regulus sternly on the stomach.

"I saw you both leave. What _else_ was I supposed to do?"

"Stay in bed where you belong."

Regulus pouted.

"Oh, don't think that pouty lip is going to get you out of this one. Did our Lord Father not tell you to study for your exam?"

"Come _**on**_ , Severus! You can't seriously expect me to stay sequestered with books when you and Ari are sneaking out on some clandestine mission!"

"Yes," Severus said, his eyes narrowing.

 _ **CHIRRRSK!**_

The golden gryphlet pegged Regulus squarely on the rump.

" _ **Ow!"**_

"As your elder brother, your safety is a great concern. As your friend, doubly so."

"Really? You're going to pull that card with me after all we've been through?" Regulus scowled.

Severus wrinkled his nose. "I know our Lord Father. So, too, do you."

Regulus flinched.

"Father is likely to plaster you to the ceiling to teach you humility and then use a permanent sticking charm to keep you from just shifting and flying away."

Regulus twitched.

Ffraid glowered at Regulus with all of her multiple eyes. " _Want me to tie him up?"_

Regulus eyed the spider with comically wide eyes.

Severus sighed. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't bind you to this log and leave you here for Father to pick up?"

Regulus gave him the best appeasement expression he could muster, resembling a wide-eyed kitten of pure adorableness.

Artemis tapped her talons, her leonine tail lashing back and forth with jerky movements. She snubbed Regulus, turning her beak up at him like a cat who had been left alone for a week only to have their owner come back from vacation smelling of far off places and strange cats. She padded into the shelter, making odd chittering noises.

"Come _on_ , brother. I'm already here."

"No, stay here."

"But if you'd just tell me what you're looking for—"

"No, Regulus!" Severus' face was stern. "Stay here, or so help me Merlin I will make a potion that gives you mange and causes you to perpetually molt for the next fifty years."

Regulus sighed, slumping. "Fine."

He sat with his back to the log and grunted, crossing his arms petulantly.

Severus walked into the shelter, narrowing his eyes as he saw the remnants of a life abandoned. Broken bowls, rusted ironware, tattered bits of cloth— all of it seemed like the life of the family that had lived there had been frozen in place to decay and molder forever.

A skeleton sat in a chair, having been preserved in place by time's neglect.

"He or _she—_ was murdered," Severus said finally, his face grim.

Ari sniffed the air and seemed to sigh. Her tail swished back and forth.

Severus looked around, reaching out his hand to feel the energy of the room. For a moment, his hand was nothing but bone, the finger bones reaching out in a fan as a fire ignited in his eyes.

"You're right. There is _some_ thing still here."

Artemis chirred. The end of her tail was a tuft of flame that glowed different colours before settling on green. She flicked her tail, and flame went zipping out in different directions. The flame, however, didn't burn. Instead, it sank into the old floor and caused it to glow where old footprints once were. Footprints, handprints—traces of life before death—glowed all around them.

Ari bonked against his leg, tail twitching.

"You're right, of course. It would make things much easier."

Severus cracked his neck, and the sound seemed to echo in multiple joints. Flesh gave way to bone as his skull-face emerged, elongating into the shape of an eagle as flames flickered in their sockets. His fingers seemed to elongate, taking on the shape of talon-like extensions. His breath came in wisps of frozen air. Artemis leapt into his arms and perched on his shoulder, her body completely skeletal but for the flames in her eye sockets.

She leapt up into the air and her body shuddered as a wave of cold signalled the transformation of her body, and she became his instrument. The glint of shine of metal came only a moment before Severus' bone-hands grasped the scythe and cut the air as a blast of magic blew outward.

" _I finally found a use for your trinket, Grandfather," a young wizard said, his dark brown eyes seemingly far too dead for the living. "A far better use than sitting on your withered, disgusting hand."_

 _The wizard's lip curled up cruelly, even though his face showed very little true emotion. He held up a ring between his fingers. "I've found a use for you too."_

 _There was a flash of powerful magic as the wizard pulled out his wand and pointed at the withered corpse of his grandfather and seemed to suck out something from the body._

 _A soul or some remnant of life, screamed as it was torn from the body it haunted and was bound to the ring. The wizard smiled as he twisted the energy into a Dark curse. "May all who attempt to put on this ring suffer as you— withered and destroyed by your betters."_

 _The wizard took the ring and placed it in the stone wall of the building, using magic to space it in the very stone itself and even more to cover it with wall mortar._

The glow faded along with the vision, and the once complete wall faded to the jagged remains caused by the fallen tree.

 _ **Foop!**_

Two gryphlets picked amongst the stones together, single-mindedly focused on finding the one stone that mattered: the stone that held another stone.

They piled up the stones they had checked to keep them straight, realising that the wizard hadn't put things in stones only that once. Dead animals, objects, seemingly random things were set inside almost every stone in that wall in a disturbingly macabre graveyard—a practice ground for some greater purpose.

It wasn't that they were looking for one stone that contained something; they were trying to find a stone with something in it surrounded by stones with a horrid variety of even more things encased in them. As they perched on top of the broken wall, attempting to focus on finding the stone they truly needed, they saw Regulus reaching out to pick up a nearby rock.

The gryphlets launched toward him together, but Artemis was more used to her form. She shot toward Regulus with a shrill screech—

But Regulus' fingers were reaching out—

" _ **NO!"**_

Regulus' head suddenly jerked up as a bushy-haired witch made a quick gesture with her fingers. " _ **STUPEFY!"**_

Feathers flew out from her hair as her hand reached out and then jerked back in a clench. She drew it across her chest and then drew it across her body and flicked her hand like she was shaking water free from wet hands.

Regulus went flying away from the rock he was going to touch. Severus rose up in his humanoid form, his arms wrapping around Regulus as he skidded to a halt. He slowly lowered Regulus to the ground, propping him up against a sturdy tree.

"Your curiosity will surely be the death of me—" Severus sighed deeply. "If I _could_ , at least." He scowled down at his now-unconscious brother, shaking his head.

The witch stood tall as she straightened her slender shoulders. She removed the mask from her face to expose a young human face. She took in a deep breath, her hazel eyes flickering with golden fire.

"Such a bother," she murmured.

She blew an errant curl out of her face.

"Brothers. I never thought I'd have them. Tch."

She winced as she rubbed her shoulder. She slowly stretched her neck out, bones popping as they went into line.

"Artemis," Severus touched her head. Her pointed gryphon ears twitched in her curls.

She smiled up at him and then closed her eyes. Severus joined her as a dark mist began to trickle up from the earth. It swirled and materialised into the skull-faced spectre of Death.

"Hello, my daughter, my son," Death said warmly.

"Father," they chimed together.

Death's gaze drifted over to where Regulus was passed out cold against a nearby tree, and his skull shook slowly back and forth as he brought two fingers to the bridge of his nasal bone. "Kids… I suppose I should count myself fortunate that you two are not blundering dunderheads, hrm?"

He let out a sigh, a large cloud of vapour expelling into a cloud shaped like a skull and crossbones. "I cannot even blame adoption for him," he said with a low chuckle.

Ari and Severus exchanged glances.

Death touched their heads, a rush of warmth rushing through them. "Orion is a construct—a human guise. Mortal. Regulus need not worry that one day he will wake up with a very complicated legacy. That is my gift to him. He can be whatever he wishes to be, but he need not have to be. You two chose either in deed or will or both. My protection of him lies in the love of Orion for his children and his family. Humans have such a great capacity to perform amazing feats of emotion, devotion, and bravery, but most do not think much beyond themselves—they are selfish, self-serving. This is something common to all species out of a basic drive to preserve itself."

"I give him free will and free choice, free of the heavy yoke of immortality, for so few understand the price that such things bring. To wish for immortality with no limitations is to court something infinitely worse than death itself."

Death picked up the rock from where they had left it, the imprint of their marking magic and the pull of his lost stone making for a distinctive, unique signature. His hand clenched and crushed the stone surrounding _his_ stone, and the ring then there lay in his skeletal palm.

"Ahh, Tom. This is not the only object you have tainted with a shard of your shattered soul, attempting to cheat the balances of the world." The golden ring melted in his hand, leaving only an innocuous-looking black stone.

"I could not seek out the stone myself for there are rules that even _I_ must follow. I have never been human, you see. Only one who was, and I did take that literally in this case, human could bring the stone to my attention."

"Are you squirming, Tom? Sitting on your imagined throne, twisting words, setting dog against dog in the hopes of scraps. Are you frantically casting spells in the hopes that one of them keeps you from the fate you thought yourself protected of? Or are you so arrogant that you think I cannot see all the things you have hidden away?

Death blew lightly on the stone that had been used as a family heirloom for untold years. "Writhe in agony, Tom, for as I take back what is truly _mine_ — all things connected to it shall become—"

The stone began to turn bright orange with incandescent heat, becoming molten as a cloud of soul taint escaped.

"Dust," Death said with a clear finality.

Severus rose up as Hermione leapt into the air, transforming into the long-bladed tool of office. His skeletal hands wrapped around the shaft of the scythe as his face turned into an eagle skull as his beak opened and he _**screeeeeeech**_ ed defiance. The blade slashed cleanly through the cloud of soulmatter, and the purification of the act blasted outwards, tossing the trees back and forth enough to shake all the snow off the branches.

The cloud of blackened, tainted soul shrieked in rage as the shape of a screaming face formed and then quickly dissipated like fog burned away by the sun.

Death's flame-eyes flickered as the stone reformed in his hand.

Severus and Artemis put their bone-hands together over the stone, and it exploded in a blast of super-frozen air chased by a cleansing fire. The Horcrux, unable to anchor the soul fragment with the stone destroyed, was immediately consumed by ice and fire.

Tom's soul fragment began to resonate, vibrating wildly. Fire consumed what was frozen and seemed to extend tendrils in various directions, chaining off like the forks of lightning. The flash of the answering fragments that had once been connected to the one in Death's palm burst into flames—freeing the fragments from their housings and purifying the objects.

"Free the soul unwillingly enslaved." Death closed his hands around where the stone had been.

"Merge the souls purposely broken." Artemis added her other hand.

"Send the souls to their final judgement," Severus intoned, closing his hands over their combined hands.

The combined scream of Tom, the screams of those who served him willingly, and the sighs of relief of those forced to serve rang out together. Visions showed them further the justice they had carved out. Flames consumed a leatherbound book. A vault deep within Gringotts was consumed in flames. In a dark, unknown place, surrounded in other objects, a forgotten locket opened and burst into purifying flames as the soul fragment was forcibly evicted and pulled back to the original soul.

As their hands parted, Severus and Artemis transformed back into the black and gold gryphlets. Death cradled them to his body, placing kisses upon their foreheads.

"Do take Regulus back to Hogwarts and tell him to expect Orion's letter of reprimand for disobeying his direct orders."

The gryphlets chirred, snuggled up to their father, and then zipped over to Regulus' body. They sank their talons and claws into him, lifting him up with powerful beats of their wings, and carted him off back to Hogwarts.

Death watched his children leave, shaking his head.

"If he's lucky, Orion Black won't string him up by his ankles and make him chant the entire family tree." Death's skull face twisted into a smug, eerie smile. "If he's _really_ lucky, his siblings won't make him do it for them before the letter even arrives."

* * *

 _ **Inexplicable Coma Epidemic Spreads Across Britain**_

 _The last week has seen the alarming appearance of a number of unexplained comas across the whole of Great Britain. Various families have brought in family members who have simply not woken up or else suddenly collapsed with no warning or explanation whatsoever. The only thing these patients seem to have in common is the tattoo of a skull and serpent on their left forearms._

 _An unidentified wizard was brought in, whose body was horribly disfigured, perhaps by an extreme transfiguration mishap. His eyes were blood red, and his face allegedly looked more snakelike than human. Magical tracing spells have been in progress for days, but most results have pointed to the identity of one Tom Marvolo Riddle, a former head boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, resident of London, and former employee of Borgin and Burkes._

 _While the Wizengamot has yet to rule on the matter, Mr Tom Riddle has been charged with being none other than the self-declared Dark Lord Voldemort. If it is confirmed that he has been at the root of a number of crimes ranging from murder, assault, intimidation, bribery, coercion, to theft, his sentence will most likely start and end in Azkaban._

 _As for whether he will serve it in his current condition, which seems to be remarkably similar to a Dementor Kiss-like state, or in future should his condition improve, that has yet to be determined._

 _As for the other victims of the inexplicable coma, we are advising families to perform a prompt wellness check on all of their family members to make certain that some of their number have not been afflicted by this most baffling and inexplicable affliction._

* * *

James looked up from his study desk, his mind drifting back to the time when he could study with his peers and friends. Those days seemed so far away now—lost in a time when he seemed much younger and, well, infinitely more stupid.

It didn't _feel_ like years had passed since that first day on the Hogwarts Express. It didn't _feel_ like a Dark Lord had risen and fallen while he was still in school, even if he was now being homeschooled by his parents with a tutor coming every day to ensure he had all his course topics covered adequately.

He was doing well enough in his classes, but he didn't really feel all that inspired without friends around to encourage him or at least compete with. Life was—

Bloody _boring_ , to be perfectly honest.

His one-time fellow students had already sat their N.E.W.T.s and gone off into the real world to find their destiny, but his tutor said that _he_ wasn't ready yet.

" _I don't feel that James is prepared for the adult world just yet," the wizened crone had informed his parents over tea. "He does passable work, mind, but the boy doesn't seem to be all that inspired. I don't feel comfortable releasing him to sit his N.E.W.T.s without that internal spark to succeed."_

His parents, damn them, had agreed completely with her assessment of him. Every time he tried to muster up enough gumption to actually _care_ , however, he just fell back into a rut of total apathy.

His parents hadn't returned home in several hours though, and at first he was grateful for the unexpected reprieve from their near-constant attendance of late. As the time grew ever later, however, James began to worry. The later it got, the more his worry deepened until he found himself in an absolute panic.

His parents just didn't stay out that long, let alone late at night. They were terribly habitual. They both had quirks that made them every bit as regular as clockwork. They were so punctual that he hadn't even thought to leave the house and take advantage of their conveniently being gone.

There had been a time, a time that felt like forever ago, that he'd have been out the door, window, or Floo the very moment his parents lost track of him. His parents' failure to return this time, however, truly troubled him.

 _They just went to the healer to see about a bothersome cold_ , he chided himself.

This _morning_.

James wished he'd paid more attention to the Patronus lessons. His tutor had said it was very complex magic, and that would have been something he'd take as a personal challenge at one time in his life. Being away from Hogwarts and without random people to outdo, however, had stolen away his gumption.

When he thought about it, he realised that he had always relied on others to inspire him to do better, even if that was entirely selfish in his desire to be better than _them_. His relentless persecution of _Snivellus_ , as bad as it had been, had been utterly inspired. It drove him. It molded him to be better—

He wondered what the hell the sodding Slytherin git was up to now.

James stood up and stormed over to the Floo. He grabbed a handful of green Floo powder and threw it down. "Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

The green flames consumed him and carried him away.

* * *

"How long have your parents been gone, Mr Potter?"

"Only most of today, but you have to understand, sir. They are like a ruddy _Tempus_ charm. They are always, _always_ punctual. They would have been home for lunch as usual if nothing was wrong. And they're never out late, ever. They were supposed to go to Mungo's to get checked out by a healer. They had both complained of having this kind of heavy feeling in the last week. I'm telling you, something is _seriously_ wrong."

"Miss Evans, could you please handle Mr Potter's case and get all the particulars?" the elder Auror asked. "Most of our regulars are helping out the French Aurors who are stretched pretty thin right now trying to contain a rampaging Nundu that some idiot was keeping in his residence to supposedly guard his library."

"Sure, boss," a familiar-looking redhead said, walking over to them. Her eyes widened as she saw James standing there looking worried. "This way please, Mr Potter."

Lily took a scroll and unrolled it, picking up a quill and starting to write. "When did you last see your parents, Mr Potter?"

"It's James, Lily," James said quietly.

The young witch sighed. "I remember. But this isn't about _you_ , Mr Potter, it's about your parents. Please remember that and let's try to keep this professional, okay?"

For a few minutes, all Lily did was ask questions and take down information. She sent off a few quick owls, some to Mungos and some to other places James didn't recognise. The owls in the DMLE seemed quite eager to fly, zipping out of the offices so fast that they ruffled the hair of passersby in their wake.

"I sent a few inquiries out to see if we can get some confirmation if they have been admitted, which is the one logical reason why they wouldn't have come home after visiting." Lily frowned as her writing quill leapt out of her hand and zoomed away, giggling like a young girl.

" _ **MURPHY!"**_ Lily yelled.

No one answered her, but Lily didn't seem to be all that surprised by that. She blew a long strand of hair out of her face.

"Now we wait for the replies before we make any hasty assumptions," Lily said with a sigh. "Would you like some tea?"

"Please."

Lily walked over to where an enchanted teapot perpetually kept the water at the perfect tea-brewing temperature. She poured the water into a second pot and brought it over with a pair of mugs, pouring tea for James and herself before setting down a tray with sugar, milk and a small tin of biscuits between them.

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement? I never saw you as a wannabe Auror," James said curiously, sipping gratefully at his tea.

"I'm what they call a junior caseworker. I don't go out in the field and wrestle bears in the woods or duel Dark wizards in Knockturn Alley." Lily looked thoughtful. "I help keep the cases organised so we can assign the best people to each case, and filter out the ones that do not require immediate Auror attention."

"Rescuing Kneazles stuck in trees?"

"Kneazles are far too intelligent to not have a secondary escape plan."

James snorted softly. "As you say."

" _ **Oi, make way for the new acquisition!"**_ a voice boomed. " _ **Clear a path!"**_

Lily and James turned to see a flood of French Aurors pushing through as two dark-clad masters walked in. One had a shrunken thunderbird on his shoulder, while the other was walking in with a Nundu at his side. He lay one hand behind the great cat's ear, the universal signal for "this one is under control".

Behind them trotted the largest Nundu he'd ever heard of—so large he almost hit his head on the ceiling—carrying two wriggling gryphlets in his mouth right behind his elongated canines.

The gryphlets, one black and one gold, seemed somewhat beside themselves at having been kept from their mischief.

"Sodding Blacks got themselves adopted again," Savage guffawed from his desk as he began to fill out forms. Proudfoot, who sat down at his desk nearby and pulled out parchments to fill out, grunted. "Who gets to explain to France?"

"Not me," Savage said, tapping the side of his nose with a long finger.

The extra-large Nundu with a secondary helping of huge mrowled and lay down on the head Auror's desk—which basically meant he engulfed the entire office, leaving only his tail sticking out the door.

" _ **SAVAGE! PROUDFOOT!"**_ a voice bellowed, slightly muffled by fur. " _ **WHY IS THERE A BLOODY NUNDU IN MY OFFICE?!"**_

"You said to put the evidence of our results on your desk, boss!"

" _ **KINGSLEY! STOP PETTING THAT NUNDU THIS INSTANT!"**_

Thump.

A large paw wrangled Kingsley and pulled him closer into a feline cuddle as he attempted to remove his hair, hat, and half his body hair with his tongue.

"Animal magnetism," Savage said with a straight face.

The two dark-clad masters chuckled. The smaller Nundu playfully pawed at the larger's tail, amusing herself.

Master Shadowstalker pet the Nundu's head and smiled. "Now you won't be so lonely, eh, Cadbury?"

"Mrrrrl!" the smaller Nundu said, smaller being relative considering she was easily the size of a shire horse.

"I'm just glad you can shrink down to size, Marahute," Cloudsinger said, leaning against the wall of the office as he dodged the swipes of the Nundu tail sticking out of Senior Auror Briscoe's office.

" _ **Ssssssshhirheee!"**_ the thunderbird replied, bobbing her head in fervent agreement.

Auror Briscoe pushed his way out of his office, his somewhat silvered dark hair sporting a rather impressive Nundu-styled cowlick. His bushy eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to adjust his tie. He tried in vain to look authoritative, but his broad smile made his eyes half-disappear as the corners of his mouth quirked upwards.

"I swear the lot of you would be fired if you weren't just that good at your jobs."

The Aurors chuckled as he waved them off.

"Good work, I'll debrief the French lot as soon as we get a translator. Their English is awful when they're this excited, and their French is practically a hundred miles a minute."

"Kingsley!"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Register this Nundu as the Black family's new familiar."

"Which Black, boss?"

"Yes," Briscoe answered, storming off down a hallway.

Kingsley wriggled, earning himself another playful paw swat and thorough grooming by Nundu.

"A little help here?"

The other Aurors ignored him on purpose, looking as busy as humanly possible.

"Who says Nundus are mindless killer beasts?" Cloudsinger said, nudging his partner.

Shadowstalker snorted.

"Cadbury and I have been trying to tell people that Nundus are _not_ sodding dunderheads. They react in kind to whatever they are given."

Mrowl!

Cadbury thumped Shadowstalker over and proceeded to groom him, Nundu style.

"Good timing. You _stink_ , Softfoot."

"Shut it, Windsong."

Regulus Black walked in from the floo, still dressed in his Hogwarts uniform. "Aww, why do I always miss all the _**FUN?**_ "

Two gryphlets made a beeline towards Regulus, all mischief in their eyes and beaks.

"Oh, gods, _**NO!"**_ Regulus cried as he was bowled over by gryphlets, supine and with arms twitching spasmodically.

The great Nundu squeezed out of the small office and, in the manner of felines of all natures everywhere, flowed like a liquid out from the door before bounding over to double-pounce the already pounced one.

" _ **Hhhgggkkk!"**_ Regulus croaked, all but smothered by the massive beast.

Savage handed Proudfoot a galleon.

"You win again."

Regulus wheezed. "Hate you _**so**_ much, Savage!"

"You love me, really," the Auror bantered back, grinning madly.

Marahute cheekily whistled _You're In My Heart_ by Rod Stewart, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

A sleek black cat with a small white bib on her throat jumped into Savage's lap and purred luxuriously, commandeering his lap-front property as her own as normality once again descended upon the DMLE.

* * *

James was staring.

The wait for a response from Mungo's hadn't even had long enough to be maddening when complete madness had waltzed through the front door of the DMLE in the shape of a terrifying giant disease-breathing feline from Hades.

Make that _two_ terrifying giant disease-breathing felines from Hades.

James was not oblivious to the fact that the two beasts were sodding Nundu, the infamous takes-100-wizards-to-defeat-one-feline of Wizarding infamy. The huge—even more 'larger than life' than he expected—Nundu had come in carrying two young gryphlets in its mouth. Its head touched the ceiling. Merlin's fingernails, the smaller one was the size of the largest horse he'd ever seen.

Gods.

How?

How was this even a thing?

And how was everyone so sodding _calm_ about it?

Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, a man who commanded a dignity of the quiet sort, walked so very calmly up to the giant feline, and with a few pets and a determined shove, had moved the beast over enough to unpin the wizard underneath. It was obvious he wasn't really concerned, so the beast seemed unconcerned, calmly allowing the wizard to move him around as he wished.

"Could you please put our beloved apprentices down, my very large friend?" Kingsley asked in a soft tone.

The Nundu appeared to ponder the request and then gently placed the two gryphlets down on the nearby desk. The two poofed out almost instantly, their fur and feathers appearing extra fluffy.

The Auror gave the two gryphlets an affectionate pat, obviously knowing them both well enough not to think his hand was in danger of being snapped off and used for a chew toy.

"I heard you rescued a Muggle lost in the forest out in Leicestershire," Kings said with mild curiosity.

Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker grunted in assent. "They did quite well, as they always do," the two masters said together.

Kings chuckled.

"Overachievers."

He helped Regulus up. "Homework done, I hope? I cannot release you to help around here unless those two are quite satisfied."

Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker gave Regulus extra stern versions of "the look" known to all adolescents everywhere.

Regulus bowed politely, brushing the loose fur and feathers off his robes. "Yes, I completed my studies for the day."

"Our homework done?" Cloudsinger asked. His eyes were the colour of skies. One was the colour of threatening storm clouds, but the other the crystalline blue of the high atmosphere.

"Yes, save for the one question on what is the best method for searching for a Muggle without revealing the use of magic around other Muggles."

"That was the challenge question, yes," Shadowstalker said. "This is why Amelia has us work with Aurors. It helps that we can group together to search, often keeping to our own, which helps shield us from any potential breaches in the Statute of Secrecy."

Regulus frowned. "Oh, I'm such an _idiot_. We have glamours for the Animagus forms."

The two gryphlets on the nearby desk made simultaneous sighs.

Regulus glowered at them.

"Hey! No fair. You two share a mind."

Cloudsinger laughed. "Yes, but you are a bit of a strange case, lad. I guarantee you that an overgrown house cat flying through the air without wings will _still_ attract a certain amount of scrutiny."

Regulus pouted, pointing at the lounging gryphlets. "That's hardly fair. _They_ get a full glamour."

"You'll have one eventually, but since you haven't perfected Disillusionment yet, you must consider these things until you can."

Regulus sighed. "It's a hard spell. Just when I think I have it, I get the itch to chase something and the spell breaks."

"True Disillusionment requires focus, young Regulus. The gryphlets have a natural cloaking about themselves, but you are a jaguar, which relies on natural stealth and blending in, which is a different, more physical skill."

Cloudsinger smiled.

"You will get it, eventually. Just keep practicing."

Regulus rubbed his head and stood up. "Thank you, masters."

"Masters Cloudsinger, Shadowstalker," Lily said, walking up to them. "I have a situation that requires a tracker."

The two dark-clad wizards eyed Lily with surprise.

"Oh?"

Marahute peered at Lily, beak open in a silent hiss.

Cloudsinger clamped the thunderbird's beak closed.

"Rude."

The thunderbird hung her head in shame.

Mrrl?

Cadbury thumped her head into Shadowstalker's side, almost toppling him over.

Lily bowed slightly. "Mr Potter's parents have disappeared. It is quite unlike them to not return without notice, let alone not return at all. St Mungo's said they were due to come in for a checkup this morning, but they never showed up. They were feeling under the weather, but we have no other information short of their being missing. Our other trackers are currently assigned elsewhere. If you could spare the time—?"

Shadowstalker shrugged.

"Do you have something of theirs they have both touched often?"

The mop-haired wizard came up beside Lily. "No, but I can take you to our home where everything has been touched by them."

Cloudsinger nodded. "That will do."

"Severus, Artemis, Regulus," Shadowstalker said. "Apparate behind our trails. Mr Potter, you can side-along, yes?"

James looked down, visibly embarrassed. "No, sir."

The two masters did not flinch, but their gaze was piercing. "Floo then?"

James nodded.

Shadowstalker placed a hand on the gryphlet's heads, rubbing. "Trace us after we floo over. This will be good practice for you, and a good way to break in our new, larger friend, yes?"

The gryphlets pressed their beaks to his palm, memorizing his magical signature and chirred.

The two masters herded James in front of them to the hearth.

"We'll take the case, Miss Evans," Cloudsinger said.

"Thank you," Lily said, unable to resist bowing yet again.

Shadowstalker and Cloudsinger exchanged glances. "We will be busy locking down the residence. If you wish to assist by making a record of the report while we are there, you may. Otherwise our report may be delayed depending on what is being done."

Lily looked towards her boss at his desk.

"Go," Pepperwort said, waving a hand dismissively. "That lot only has to report to Amelia, so we'll get nothing if you don't go."

Lily, looking a bit intimidated as the giant Nundu padded by to join the relatively tiny gryphlets, nodded shyly. "Yes, ma'am."

Toussaint scooped up the gryphlets in his mouth and padded toward the atrium, deciding that he wanted more room to sprawl out while they waited. The gryphlets chirred, wriggling in protest, but it was markedly half-hearted at best.

"Touch nothing," Kingsley ordered them sternly. His demeanor was relaxed, but he had that tone in his voice that brokered no exceptions.

Lily nodded and followed after the others.

"Miss Evans, you will side-along with me," Shadowstalker said.

"In the Floo?!" Lily squeaked.

Shadowstalker's smile was just a hair's breadth away from sadistic glee. "Yes."

Cloudsinger took the floo with James as Shadowstalker grabbed Lily's arm and jerked her close when she dragged her feet.

Cadbury eyed the witch suspiciously as the crack of their Disapparate carried them off.

 _ **Crack!**_

 _ **CrackaCRACK!**_

The trio and the newest member of their ever-growing band of mischief makers disappeared as they trace-apparated to their masters' trail.

* * *

Perhaps, Regulus thought as they ended at the Potter residence, James Potter hadn't _heard_ their masters calling them all by name.

Perhaps—

But it was obvious that when Severus rose up from his gryphlet form in the foyer of his parent's home that James Potter was not happy. Even when Severus went back into his Animagus form, James continued to glare daggers.

Maybe it was because his parents were missing. That would be distressing enough for anyone.

If by some strange twist of fate Orion or Walburga Black just up and walked off, never to return, Regulus _knew_ he'd be a total wreck.

Hell, if Severus or Artemis hadn't come back when they were supposed to, he'd be climbing the walls to find them.

James was glowering darkly at Severus as he stood calmly awaiting orders from their masters. No one of their crew was stupid enough to move before Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker said to go. They were very thorough in doing the preliminary scans to make sure the area was safe for both their apprentices and their beast partners.

Toussaint, despite being the newest of the group, seemed perfectly mellow now that he had a real bond to the Black family. Orion had often regaled them with stories of the Old Ways, when Wizarding families had a "hearthbeast" or a "heartbeast" which became the center of the family, serving as both companion and protector. The problem, his father had said, was when wizarding folk treated the beasts as servants or mere trained animals.

While that was never an issue in the Black household—hell, they even left out cream on the mantle for wandering Silkies—Cygnus' side of the family hadn't had good relations with beasts, fae, or magical folk in centuries. The only reason the house elves were still with them was because they were bound to the family from hundreds of years previous.

While Regulus suspected the Nundu was well and truly bound to either Severus or Artemis (could gryphons _have_ familiars?), he wasn't really sure which of them was the main bondee.

Maybe, he thought, it really didn't matter. They were so tightly bound that anything one had the other shared. Toussaint seemed quite willing to have shared custody as long as someone was there to rub his belly and that spot right under his chin.

Who would believe that?

Well, other than their masters, who knew better.

Okay, and his father.

Alright, and his mother too.

Toussaint was giving the gryphlets an extra-intensive grooming session, apparently unsatisfied with their present level of floofiness. One swipe of the tongue practically bowled the two gryphlets over. Severus now had a mohawk of feathers on top of his head, and Ari had a crest of fur going down her back like the fin of a dimetrodon.

Lily Evans was obviously nervous around the beasts, but as the black gryphlet rolled over and smoothly rose up into Severus' distinctive human form, her eyes went very wide and she swallowed hard.

Ari chirred and bounced-jingled around his feet.

"Patience, love," Severus said softly.

The gryphlet seemed to mutter to herself as she head-bonked into the back of his knee, tackled his dragonhide boots, and mauled them like they had personally offended her.

Severus crossed his arms across his chest, his expression wrinkling slightly as he rubbed his nose, but he allowed her to take her frisky feline energy out on his innocent footwear.

"Tch," he said, grunting.

James continued to stare and scowl at Severus from across the room.

Toussaint stood up, calmly walked over to the other side of the room, and unceremoniously sat on James.

Lily gasped. "Oh my g— _**do something**_ , Sev!"

Severus lifted his hands. "Oh no," he said, utterly deadpan.

Kingsley, who had watched the entire deal, walked over and loved on the Nundu's head, rubbing his velvety ears. He then took out a big smelly fish from nowhere (was that a trans-dimensional pocket?) and walked him back over to the other side of the house. "There now, my very large friend. I _know_ you think that such stares are a direct challenge, but he's just a silly human boy and he really doesn't know any better."

Toussaint munched on the tasty fish, fastidiously licking his teeth and then grooming Kingsley's face while administering undiluted fish breath directly to his nasal passages.

"Mfff," Kings grunted, shoving the Nundu's face to the side.

 _Mrrl_ , the giant feline replied, going back to grooming Kings.

The two masters came down the staircase, raising eyebrows as Cadbury pounced Toussaint, and the pair tussled and flopped on each other in the middle of the entryway, clogging the arteries.

Lily, who was taking a fastidious care to _not_ look either large cat in the face, tried to look up and yet not look at the felines at the same time with limited success.

"Apprentices. You may check the grounds. Report what you find after making two passes. If you feel any uncertainty, make three passes. Any questions?"

"No, master," Severus and Regulus chimed.

"Artemis?"

The gryphlet lashed her tail back and forth and chirped definitively.

"Toussaint?"

 _Mrowl_. The Nundu yawned, showing all his teeth and the ridges on his tongue.

"Alright, go."

The apprentices and the beasts began their scans of the house, disappearing both upstairs and down.

"All levels are clear," Cloudsinger said, rubbing Marahute's chest feathers. "Attic has three grade one artefacts. Second floor has fifty-two portraits of a magical nature."

"Second floor has twenty-two magical enchantments, all domestic," Shadowstalker said. "Twelve house-elves in residence. Three of them are incapable of working. The living quarters are on the first floor, with one master bedroom and bath—"

"Why are you letting bloody _Snivellus_ paw through my family's things?! James finally blurted out, anger rising before reason.

Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker turned slowly to face James, their faces set like stone. Cadbury puffed out a small trail of blackish-green breath.

" _ **Idiot!"**_ Kingsley yelled as he gave James a flying tackle and put up a barrier. The small cloud of virulent disease hit the barrier and fizzled as a flash of light quickly neutralised it.

Cadbury bounded over and head-bonked the barrier, _mrowl_ ing unhappily.

Kingsley let the barrier drop and kneaded the Nundu's cheeks with his hands. "You've gotten bigger, my Lady."

 _Mrorrrrl_!

The Nundu thumped Kingsley down and used him as her personal pillow, looking quite satisfied with herself.

"Argh!"

Cadbury then gave him a very thorough re-grooming.

"Mr Potter, I highly recommend, if you don't want a face full of virulent disease, that you keep your hateful comments to yourself. In fact, it would be best if you kept any negative emotion at all out of the picture while in the presence of the Nundus or the Thunderbird."

 _KRRzzz_ _ **RRRRI**_ _IITTTTTSSS_!

The Thunderbird crackled and sent a spark of lightning towards James, but Cloudsinger seemingly grabbed ahold of the bolt, taking it into himself and grounding it out with nary a change in expression.

"Why are you sending _them_ through my parents' house? _My_ house!?"

" _They_ are our apprentices. It is our job to secure the scene, and theirs to confirm what we have already seen," Shadowstalker said. "Would you have apprentices just guess and stumble on some trap, relying only on book knowledge?"

James' jaw tightened and he jutted his chin in the direction Snape had taken to complete his task. " _He_ cannot be trusted. Least of all in here."

Cloudsinger sighed deeply. "I am not sure what history you two have had, have now, will have, won't have, or even want to have; but Severus, Artemis, and Regulus Black are here purely in a professional capacity. They are also bound to a male Nundu whose only experience with wizard kind before recently has been less than positive in any capacity. Do you really think, if hatred and ill emotions were all any of the apprentices had, that he would be calmly padding around after them checking rooms for any evidence pertaining to your parents' disappearance?"

"James." Lily's voice was trembling with barely suppressed anger. Her eyes flashed with fire, making them an even more vivid green than usual. " _Grow up."_

Potter stared at her, his jaw dropping slightly at her blunt candor. "Sev and I may not have got on since school, but of all the trainees, they are out in the field _working_ as they train. Them. _Only_ them. Do you think the Head of the Department of Mysteries and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would send _any_ one incapable of professional detachment out in the field? I heard you talking to the Auror recruiter earlier too. Do you think you even have a chance when you can't even keep your cool in your own ruddy house for the benefit of finding your parents?"

James swallowed hard, staring back at the fiery young witch with a little more caution in his manner.

Three Patroni went zinging up and down the stairs as the apprentices kept in contact with each other. They came back again with answers. A few minutes passed before the three apprentices and the gratuitous Nundu escort came out of the various places in the house.

"Ready?"

The half furry quartet nodded, the gryphlet and Nundu _chirr_ , _purr_ , and _growl-chirp_ ing commentary to their human counterparts.

"First, anything that got your furred friends aggigated?"

Regulus stepped up. "Toussaint and Artemis both stopped at a statue on the second floor. In a bedroom. We suspect there is a hidden room."

"Did you open it?"

"No, sir. We are not to open suspected hidden rooms without you, lest you break our knuckles." Regulus turned his eyes skyward. "Sir," he added.

Cloudsinger thumped Shadowstalker on the back, chuckling. "Good. I give you permission to look."

"There is nothing there they need to look at!" James protested.

Severus arched a brow as Regulus' curiosity rose visibly with his eyebrows.

One golden gryphlet tore a path up the stairs, the large Nundu following, startled by her abrupt departure as well as being slightly distressed by it. The two apprentices followed, halting their verbal report in order to finish their exploration.

Cloudsinger eyed James as he patted Cadbury. "You have quite a… _fascinating_ Muggle magazine collection, Mr Potter," he said dryly, leaving it at that.

James turned a fine shade of beet red, refusing to look any of them in the eyes.

A few minutes later the golden gryphlet bounded down the stairs and screeched to a halt in front of the group.

Shortly after, Toussaint arrived and sat down, looking confused. The two Black brothers walked down the stairs, looking very uncomfortable. "Nothing worth reporting, sir," Severus said.

"And did you find a suitable tracer object?"

Severus was completely stoic. "We did, sir."

"The bedroom, master. The trace is strongest in there," Regulus added quietly.

"Describe it."

"A hand-carved effigy, sir. With a few strands of hair strapped to it."

"And this had the strongest trace?" Shadowstalker asked.

"No," Severus said. "It had a constant stream of strong magic emitting from it."

"That's _**impossible**_ ," James objected loudly. "You _**moved**_ that!"

"I beg your pardon, Mr Potter?" Severus said, arching a brow. "I have touched nothing."

"There is no _**way**_ you could have found that. It was—" James' face abruptly paled, drained of all colour. "No. It couldn't be. It _**couldn't!**_ "

"Mr Potter. What _is_ that object?"

James clenched his fist tightly. "It—"

Auror Shacklebolt walked down the stairs, a small doll-like figure floating in front of him, having been tethered to his wand with a band of magic. "I think _I_ know what caused your parents to just wander off," he said grimly. "Tell me, Mr Potter. Whose hair is on this little piece of Dark magic?"

"I didn't actually _**use**_ it!" James cried. "We made it when we were back at Hogwarts. When everything went pear-shaped I hid it away. I never intended to use it. I never _**used**_ it! Sirius made it, but then things started happening. I hid it away. Told him I'd lost the bloody thing."

Kingsley's gaze seemed to evaluate James before he nodded. "This is precisely _why_ this kind of magic is forbidden, Mr Potter. Once made, you don't have to use it. It drains a constant stream of magic to preserve itself. If it wasn't taking it from a victim, it would find whatever was weakest around you. Whose hair is this, Mr Potter?"

James clenched his teeth. "Sni— Snape's."

"When did you collect the hair?"

"Fifth year. The year he and Lily had their fight." James sighed. "He was tearing out his hair over her not forgiving him. Literally—pulling it out. Wormtail got some of it, snuck it back to our dorm. Sirius made the doll. He'd always been so careful about stuff like that before until Lily refused to forgive him. He just fell apart. Sirius said that if Lils hadn't been so damned good at holding a grudge, Snape would never have been so vulnerable. He wanted to use the thing on him while he was down. Teach him a lesson."

Lily was looking as pale as milk, her freckles standing out in sharp relief on her ashen face. She was scribbling the notes quickly, but it was obvious to everyone that there was a serious inner struggle going on.

Shadowstalker waved his wand over the effigy. "You got the hair before Severus Snape became Severus _Black_ ," he said. "Your effigy had no one to drain, so it picked the weakest magical thing around you. Like your two elderly parents, no offence, but we know they are an older couple."

James flinched, sitting down on the stairs. "I never used it, I _swear_."

"That's just it, boy. You didn't have to," Shadowstalker said.

"Right, let's go to the bedroom and follow that trace. Kings, can you take that effigy to Amelia. Get the Unspeakables to break that thing down without cursing the whole country, yeah?"

"Sure thing," Kingsley said. "Mr Potter should come with, in case we have family-bound magic involved."

The masters nodded together. "Take him. We can easily follow the trace without him."

The masters and the apprentices as well as the beasts disappeared up the stairs into the master bedroom, and, shortly after, there was the echoing cracks of Disapparation, one after another in rapid succession.

"Let's go," Kingsley said firmly as he herded Lily and James to the Floo.

* * *

Two gryphlets and one drenched winged jaguar sat on the end of the roof looking down over one of the streets of Kielder in Northumberland. The small, remote village was in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed, but there were still too many Muggle automobiles about for the trio to feel comfortable.

"Mummy, there are gargoyles on the roof!" a little girl exclaimed excitedly, pointing up at them.

"Mmhmm," the mother murmured distractedly, moving her young daughter along.

Ari chirred.

"Children are open to seeing us."

Severus laid his head over Ari's and chirped. "Yes."

 _Hungry,_ Toussaint said.

Artemis yawned beakily. "You're always hungry."

Toussaint thumped one huge paw down over the golden gryphlet and groomed her assiduously. _Can't help it. My last human only fed me some sort of dried pebbles that came from a large bag._

Ari and Severus regarded the Nundu with mild horror. " _They fed you dog food?"_

 _I don't think there were any dogs in it,_ Toussaint replied, licking his teeth. _That might have been tastier._

"Erm… it's meant to _feed_ dogs, not have dogs in it," Severus said, his eyes very wide.

 _Oh_ , Toussaint replied thoughtfully. _They sounded tasty._

Severus thumped his own paw against the bridge of his beak.

 _No?_ Toussaint asked.

"Eating dogs does not sound tasty to me," Severus said, wrinkling his face in distaste. "They sniff each other's bums and roll in shite. Some of them even _eat_ shite."

"They roll in dung to mask their scent to hunt prey— at least the wild ones do," Ari mused.

"Some of them skip over the prey part and just roll in whatever they find."

"Okay, well, maybe those particular individuals are off."

Severus mouthed Artemis' tail, and she chirped at him in protest, pounce-tumble-rolling onto him until they slammed into Regulus with a joint squawk.

Regulus changed into human form, looking over the edge of the roof. "It's so not fair that you two can communicate to each other, but _**I**_ can't understand you."

The two gryphlets chirruped at him, tails twitching.

Regulus sighed. "Master Cloudsinger says it's because I am still too attached to my human rigidity. I don't even know what that means. I'm a ruddy winged jaguar for god's sake."

Severus transformed into human form, rubbing his nose with his sleeve to itch it. "Yes, but the potions accident gave you the push instead of you studying for it."

"How does that explain _you_?" Regulus asked, pouting.

Severus sniffed. "I didn't care what form I take as long as I can be with her," he said, petting the golden gryphlet between the ears.

"You can't be serious."

"It's a little bit of faith, don't you think? I found mine in her."

Regulus frowned. "I care for her. You _know_ that, but— you've always had a much stronger bond to her than me You understand her in a way that I don't."

Severus rubbed his shoulder with the opposing hand. "I don't think it necessarily has to be with Artemis, Regulus. I think it just has to be something you are truly willing to change for."

"I've already transformed, Severus."

"Change as in self, not physical form."

"Oh," Regulus said, staring down at the street below. Then he sighed heavily. "That's infinitely more difficult, brother."

Severus shook his head, shrugging. "I can't be the one to tell you how to expand your mind. That's all up to you."

Before Regulus could formulate a reply, Ari suddenly perked from where she was perched on top of Toussaint's head. She let out a soft chain of chortles, bobbing her head. Toussaint seemed to agree, his tail doing his own version of Nundu nodding for him.

"That's them," Severus said, writing something down on a piece of parchment. He handed it to Regulus, and his brother tapped it with his wand and said an incantation over it.

The parchment folded itself into an origami crane and flew off into another direction.

"See, you _do_ have imagination," Severus said approvingly. "Most people would make an enchanted airplane like they do at the Ministry archives, where they don't want owls mucking up their records.

"Odd, isn't it?" Regulus said. "How we separate our worlds, Muggle and magical, yet we both make paper airplanes— something we don't even have or use in the magical world. The airplane, that is. We don't make paper owls or paper brooms. We make paper airplanes, which is a very Muggle sort of thing to do, yes?"

Severus pondered for a moment. "That _is_ kind of strange, now that you mention it."

 _ **Crack-crack!**_

Their masters appeared, having gotten the message.

"Found them then?"

Ari chirped from atop Toussaint's head.

"Artemis did," Severus said, ignoring Regulus' look from behind him.

Ari drummed her talons on the Nundu's head, pointing at him with her beak.

Cloudstalker placed hand on the gryphlet's head and then the Nundu's. Both purred a response, happily accepting the unspoken praise.

"Alright, my four-legged friends," Shadowstalker said. "Why don't you go put a trace on the two in question. Meanwhile Severus and Regulus will manoeuvre into place to catch them in an secluded area that is not filled with unsuspecting Muggles. Windsong and I will observe from above just in case something should go pear-shaped. Okay?"

"Yes, masters," the apprentices said, shifting into their Animagus forms and disappearing down onto the street, Severus carrying the wriggling Regulus in his beak so the cat wasn't seen "flying without wings."

"Ready my dear?" Softfoot asked the gryphlet, rubbing under her beak where her feathers met.

She rubbed against his hand before launching off Toussaint's head, and the pair bounded down on the shop awnings and disappeared into stealth mode.

Softfoot and Windsong shook their heads together.

"If the Muggles only knew. Sometimes I think I'd like to see that— the chaos of a Nundu appearing in a crowded Muggle street."

"Someone would just think it was a leopard," Windsong replied to his old friend. "Besides. Setting a Nundu loose in a crowded magical street would be just as if not more comical."

Cadbury purred, setting her head on top of Windsong's head.

Marahute playfully pecked at the Nundu's long whiskers.

"One of these days our young Regulus will get disillusionment down and he won't have to have Severus carry him down under his cloaking field anymore."

Cloudsinger shrugged. "He just needs to find his focus. It will come, eventually, when he stops thinking that it should be easy. It's the curse of having been born into a strong magical family. Many take for granted the ease in which magic often comes to them. Regulus is a good student, so I have no doubt he will succeed, eventually. He just has to let go of feeling like it should come to him quickly."

"We should tell him the story of the wizard who only managed to Disillusion his bits." Softfoot grinned evilly.

"Shadowstalker, you are the bane of humiliated students _every_ where."

The two friends shook their heads at each other and disappeared with a _**crack**_.

The thunderbird and the female Nundu gave a startled outcry before disappearing after them with a whispered _foop!_

* * *

 _ **Possible Smallpox Cases Surface in Northumberland Area**_

 _Doctors are baffled by two cases of what is believed to be a variant of the variola virus, also known as the smallpox virus. Believed to be eradicated by an aggressive vaccination programme, health care professionals were scrambling to contain and quarantine any and all people who may have been exposed to the two as yet unidentified patients believed to be the patient zeros._

 _Smallpox vaccination was discontinued in 1971, but many places had stopped vaccinating as early as 1948. The last known case of it was acquired from a lab that worked with the variola virus. Even when vaccinated, the protection for this particular disease lasted only for five to ten years, so booster vaccinations were required every three to five years._

 _Some alarmists are already demanding that the UK start a national re-vaccination programme for smallpox, but the results that came back on the bloodwork confirmed only that it wasn't smallpox at all._

 _While some are now worried that this may be a sign of bioterrorism, nothing prepared the facility for the arrival of the two patients, both of whom appeared to be suffering from dementia and hallucinations, woke up one morning feeling right as rain._

 _After an intensive few days of further testing to make sure they were not contagious or going to suffer a relapse, the elderly couple was released with profuse apologies for having detained them._

 _As for what disease they may have had, researchers say it resembled the poxviruses that had been seen in a number of crocodilian species._

" _None of our healthcare professionals that were exposed have showed sign of infection, and they were quarantined along with the suspected patients."_

" _It's all a bunch of paranoia is what this rot was," Dr Bradley Marsden commented. "We had to lock things down because of protocol, but in this case, the paranoia and rumour spreading was worse than the actual virus._

 _All attempts to contact the couple following their discharge have been met with no response._

* * *

As Severus delivered the next batch of potions to the Potter residence, Mr and Mrs Potter invited him in for tea.

Ari trotted in like she owned the place, followed by a not-so-small Nundu.

Euphemia Potter had the house elves bring in a well-aged and fragrant haunch of buffalo on an enormous silver platter for the gryphlet and the Nundu to share, and the pair dutifully worked on making it disappear as Severus sipped his tea and carefully recorded how the Potters were feeling presently after their treatments.

Fleamont Potter invited Severus to stay for the evening meal as well, wishing him to invite his partner and masters to share in a special feast, and it wasn't until their son slunk in for dinner that Severus noticed that James Potter's eyes were lowered in shame and not shooting daggers into his back or across the dinner table. Even more mind-boggling was that the formerly arrogant, could-do-no-wrong son of Gryffindor had none other than Lily Evans at his side— she trying to hide behind her plate of prawn scampi pasta and not make eye contact.

"Ah, I know you are acquainted with our son, James, who is working on a project to catalogue and turn in all of his school-time extracurricular… projects to the DMLE. Miss Evans has volunteered to assist him so no more of those cursed objects make their way back to this house."

"Miss Evans and I are—" Severus' jaw clenched slightly before a golden gryphlet hopped up into his lap and demanded pets.

 _Right now, please. Belly side up._

"Acquainted, yes," Severus finished, petting Ari's belly with his right hand as he hastily switched his fork to the left. _You spoiled creature_ , he thought at her, loudly as possible.

Ari purred under his touch, radiating smug satisfaction.

 _You do realise you're old enough not ot be pint sized,_ he told her.

 _Pint sized gets lap space and belly rubs,_ she replied as she stuck her head over the lip of the table and stole one of his steak cubes. _And leftovers._

Severus tried not to roll his eyes as he stabbed some of his dinner with a fork to eat it before the gryphlet relieved him of his dinner.

A warm Nundu head thumped onto the top of his head, his purr shaking the chair.

 _Et tu, Toussaint?_

The Nundu licked his jowls. _I like their food. I might even like it more than dog._

 _You have this thing about dogs, don't you?_

 _They are noisy_ , Toussaint replied. _I would imagine they are less noisy when you eat them. They are probably delicious._

Severus decided to give the Potters his full attention before he accidentally gave away the fact his Nundu partner dreamed of eating noisy dogs. Who said felines and canines not getting along was a myth?

"However did you end up with such a beautifully large Nundu, Apprentices Black, as well as a gryphlet?" Mrs Potter asked.

"The gryphlet came first," Severus said. "Toussaint followed her home when he decided that she was happy, so he could be happy too."

"Interesting logic," Mr Potter said, chuckling. "Watching the house elves tiptoe around him has amused me greatly. There are old stories from back in the day when ancient Wizarding families would have a sort of great beast that was the heart of the house, protecting the home and the family. It seems like you managed to do just that."

"It was his choice, at least it was for us," Severus said modestly. "Masters Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker were good enough to confirm the bond though, to save further undue strain on Toussaint. Being a Nundu puts him under a lot of nervous scrutiny."

Toussaint gave Severus a rough lick upside the cheek before picking up the gryphlet in his mouth and carrying her off to "someplace" in the house. The thump of him laying down in front of the fireplace came shortly after as he made himself busy grooming Ari from nose to tail.

The elder Potters nodded in approval. "I am glad to see some of the Old Ways followed again. It wasn't all rubbish, even if some of it has that name thanks to the once Dark Lord."

"Did you hear, Darling? Cassandra Trelawney's granddaughter, Sybill, was interviewing for a job at Hogwarts the other day. She ended up spewing some prophecy over the afternoon tea."

"Oh? How did that go?" Fleamont asked, sipping his tea.

"From what I heard, Albus Dumbledore wanted to hire her on at Hogwarts to be an example of how an impressive bloodline doesn't necessarily guarantee talent— but that sherry-soused bumbler tripped and tumbled into the hearth at the Three Broomsticks. Set herself on fire she did, almost burnt the whole place down. Ol' Rosmerta has the place closed for remodelling after that. Probably won't get a dime from Sybill, though— if she ever gets out of the Mungo's magical burn unit."

"Magical?"

"She slammed into Rosmerta and her serving tray of drinks on her way to the hearth."

"Dear me, that woman sounds like a bonafide hazard to life."

Euphemia chuckled. "She does fit the bill, husband. Matilda told me that they found about fifty shrunken sherry bottles hidden in her pockets when she got to Mungos. The healer got suspicious when she screamed bloody murder about losing her robes."

Regulus and Severus exchanged horrified glances as their masters shook their heads in dismay.

"This is why I refuse to teach masses of untamed children," Shadowstalker sighed. "If they don't kill themselves off out of pure stupidity first, they'll be trying to be the death of _me_."

Severus couldn't help but notice that his arch-nemesis from Hogwarts and his former best friend were both trying very hard to silently blend into the chair upholstery.

Fleamont stood up, raising his glass. "I would like to formally thank you selfless work in both rescuing myself and my wife from certain death by dragon pox. Not only did you rescue us from the Muggle hospital, but you also delivered the antidote before we lost our minds completely. It could have ended there, but you have been making sure we haven't relapsed as well as made sure our magic was draining out our ears. Also— Master Shadowstrike— you have figured out why we were so vulnerable in the first place. I can only thank Merlin that the cloak of family is finally no longer with us. The burden of keeping it was high enough— but to think that using it cursed our lines of magic each time it was used—- thank you. Thank you for saving our family and bringing us back to prosperity. You are welcome in our home any time, and I hope that you will continue to visit us outside of checking on our health."

James bolted upright, his face turning red, a rather unhealthy blue, and then purple before he blurted out, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry hating you over some stupid words said during a train ride to Hogwarts. For always blaming you. For thinking that because you were Slytherin that everything bad in the world was explained by people like you. It was wrong. It was bigoted and I—"

James took in a deep breath before he continued.

"I'm an _idiot_ for not having seen that my own actions were bringing ruin to myself, you, and my own family. Even until you walked in to help find my parents, I was willing to blame you for everything, even knowing it was me and my best mates that got me in trouble in the first place."

"And now I find out that the invisibility cloak me and my best mates were using to sneak around school cursed my family's magic every single time we used it. I'm _**glad**_ it's gone! I'm sorry father, for stealing it out of the trunk, but I'm not sorry that it's gone."

The room was utterly silent.

One golden gryphlet bonked Severus on the hand.

"I—" Severus swallowed with visible discomfort, tugging on his collar. "You're right. You _were_ an idiot." He frowned. "But we were both feeding off our mutual hatred, and for that, we were both at fault. I accept your apology, Mr Potter, because I have learned that hatred makes you blind to the things that really matter, and I have found out what _really_ matters."

He cuddled the golden gryphlet while trying in vain to fend off a cuddle-seeking Nundu of unusual size.

Regulus distracted Toussaint with a tasty smoked turkey leg, and the Nundu trotted back to the hearth with his prize, crunching loudly.

"I can see you possess a great depth of compassion, Apprentice Black— both of you to have won over such impressive beasts who are notoriously picky about whom they choose to be with— as the previous owner of Toussaint didn't learn until far too late, yes?

"Thank you, Mr Potter. I think I can speak for everyone in saying that we are all grateful for your gracious hospitality."

Fleamont smiled warmly. "Well, I think it's time for dessert in the garden. Knickknack is excited to serve her special mascarpone cheesecake with balsamic strawberries and tea outside where we may watch the sunset."

The gryphlet eagerly licked her beak, and everyone laughed as the tension in the room trickled away at last.

* * *

"Sev, I—" Lily twisted her hands on her robes. "I'm sorry."

Severus had his back to her, his hands folded behind him. He turned slowly. "For what, Miss Evans?"

She winced at his cool formality. "I'm not going to apologise for getting angry with you, Sev. I had that much right. But, I _will_ apologise for having not let you explain yourself afterwards and for not accepting it when I was willing to forgive James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I'm sorry, Sev. I let it go too far. I wanted you to suffer like I felt I was suffering, and then— when I finally realised how cruel I was, I felt I couldn't take it back. It had been too long."

Artemis attacked one of Lily's high-heeled shoes but her footwear was decidedly _not_ made from dragonhide. Lily yelped as her shoe went flying, and the gryphlet pounced and absconded with it, using her head to flick it into the Potter's garden fountain with a _sploosh_.

Lily's jaw dropped. "My _**SHOE!**_ "

"Come back here with my _**SHOE!**_ " she wailed, running after the gryphlet.

Ari, having been spotted, disappeared on the spot.

 _FOOP_.

When Lily searched the fountain, she found nothing. She stormed back to Severus, dripping and frustrated, only to find her shoe waiting for her next to Severus— in pristine condition and completely dry.

James was chortling helplessly while eating his cheesecake, trying hard to not _seem_ like he was laughing at her while still laughing at her.

Ari bounded up and leapt up into Severus' arms, cuddling into his chest.

"How _did—_ " Lily trailed off. "What _the—_ If this is my shoe, _how_ did it—"

"One thing I've learned with living with gryphons is that if you don't appease their need for attention, they will amuse themselves in a hundred different ways, some that you probably don't want." Severus raised a dark eyebrow at Lily.

Lily huffed, blowing a strand of her long red hair away from her face. "That doesn't explain _why_ my shoe is here, perfectly dry and intact!"

"Are you complaining?"

"I— well, I mean—" Lily stammered.

"I forgive you, Lily," Severus said after a while of watching Lily's face shift through a few interesting colours. "I cannot trust you, but I do forgive you."

Artemis hugged Severus' shoulder and stared intently at Lily, her tail swishing back and forth with small jerking motions. Severus' hand ran down her head and back doing a small tug on her tail to break her intense fixation on Lily. She chirped at him, thumping her head into his chin and used her tail to smack his hand around.

"It must be amazing to know what another living creature thinks without having to ask," Lily said.

"Oh, I still have to ask," Severus said. "She just volunteers some things depending on what I gave her for breakfast."

Lily made a face. "She speaks to you?"

Severus tilted her head. "Doesn't your owl?"

"My owl, Peaches? What? No. Well, not with words."

"Maybe you should try and see what happens."

"Cadbury, get your big head out of the fountain at once, you're traumatising the fish," Softfoot Shadowstalker bellowed at the female Nundu.

Cadbury lifted her head out of the fountain, dripping and looking quite guilty.

Softfoot patted down the Nundu, grumbling, introducing the lady of the house to his Nundu partner.

Marahute looked over at them with jealousy, wanting attention too. She sent a zap of electricity at the Nundu's furry rump, making the Nundu jump and startle. The two partners stared at each other.

Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker belted out laughter together.

"There is always communication, Miss Evans," Severus said. "Words are just ways around reading gestures and motion. I don't need words to find meaning, and some of the greatest truths are revealed by actions, not words."

Lily' eyebrow twitched at that. "Oh. I guess that's true."

Toussaint plucked the sleepy gryphlet out of Severus' arms and padded off with her. Lily stared, unsure of what to make of it all.

She looked Severus in the eye. "Look— I know I could have— _should_ have— done better than I did. But it really hurt me when you called me that awful name. You of all people. I didn't know how to make things right then. I still don't. But—"

She sighed deeply. "I want to try, Sev. I want to be more than the clueless, superficial girl I was in school. I've seen a lot of things working in the DMLE office. I may not be an Auror, but I have worked cases to know that life is shorter than you think. I don't want to die with what we had hanging over my head my whole life. Maybe if I _was_ still that girl, I'd be too angry to care, but I'm not way that I was back then, Sev. Not anymore. And I don't think you're the same either. Can we try and mend this rift between us?"

Severus found it strangely cold without the golden gryphlet and Nundu around, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. He hadn't expected Lily to apologise- _ever_. He doubly hadn't expected her to want to try and mend the fences either. He'd begged for her forgiveness for days upon weeks before she told him she'd never forgive him and he should go seek solace with his Death Eater friends.

The irony was real. Short of the few he had suspected might end up with the Dark Lord, there were only a couple that he _knew_ were. Artemis had shown up in his life, and all desire to seek power and vengeance with some megalomaniacal Dark Lord just petered out and vanished.

He owed his bundle of mischief, feathers, and fur his life—

She, the daughter of Death.

Though, irony of ironies, he was also the son of Death.

Yet, as if to forebode the future, Orion Black had said that one day he might pick someone from the House of Black to cherish and marry. Orion Black was Death. He had sworn himself to the House of Black and to the Family of Death all within a year of each other. He couldn't even imagine a life without Artemis, and it didn't matter that she preferred to spend most of her time small, cute, and infinitely adorable. It didn't matter that she was family because they were more than family already. They were already bound, body and soul to the other. Perhaps, in the eyes of magic, they were already married, and what _was_ human marriage anyway to ones such as they— sworn to Death's family and service until the time when there was no more death— would there ever be a time when that was possible?

So, now, in the blink of an eye, Lily would be dead. It could be tomorrow or a hundred years from the present. He could stall for a long time, but she could not. She deserved the chance to grow, to change and have a better life. He owed her that, at least, for the kindness she had shown him once upon a time. She may not have been perfect, but she had been light years ahead of his homicidal (albeit unknown) drunken father.

"Let's give it a go, then," he said, his black eyes finally meeting hers.

"Thank you, Severus," Lily said gratefully, grasping his hands and looking up at him. "I mean it."

She pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek before disappearing further into the garden.

Severus touched his cheek, a look of serious contemplation on his face.

Later that night, as Severus was settling into bed only to have a Nundu with salmon breath and one sleepy gryphlet curled up with him, he realised that he had many gifts right there in front of him. Holding on to the past just insulted the wonders he had now.

Ari yawn-squeaked and wriggled closer against his chest, happily taking up the space under his arm as he pulled her against him snugly. The cold of the room was drowned by gratuitous feline-gryphon body heat as the pair radiated both contentment and warmth.

 _Goodnight, Severus._

 _Goodnight, Ari._

Severus took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

 _Severus?_

 _Mmhph?_

 _It's Hermione._

Severus mumbled, pressing his nose into her warm feathers. "Mmph." he muttered into her soothing warmth as sleep dragged him under to where Oblivion awaited.

* * *

Somewhere, far, far away in the Welsh countryside, Sirius Black woke up to the ripe stench of a smelly dead fish in his bed, leaned over and promptly hurled all over his own slippers.

Back in London, Regulus Black had the best sleep ever as he snoozed in jaguar form by a merrily crackling hearth, sprawled out in all his feline glory with all four paws in the air.

* * *

 _ **End of Chapter Four**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you're enjoying the story! Thanks to The Dragon and the Rose for staying up well past her expiry hour to beta this chapter. (Praise her!)


	5. Chapter 5

**Beta Love:** The Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01, Flyby Commander Shepard

 **A/N:** Sorry for this, but guest reviews are impossible to respond to otherwise: Severus hasn't forgotten about his pain, but he has learned to move on from it. He will have time in scads, and she will not.

Lily may have been in the wrong to hold on to such a ridiculous grudge, but it doesn't mean she didn't have the right to feel hurt and anger over being called a name she never expected to hear from him, of all people. I'm not saying she took it well or even understood what she was really doing, but teenagers are capable of some really idiotic decisions and even more stupid grudges (thank you hormones! How do we even _survive_ puberty?!) She at least realised that while she may have been perfectly human in being hurt and angry, her refusal to accept and resolve it/forgive Severus was a far worse thing. A healthy relationship doesn't mean you can't get angry with someone, but it does mean you eventually get over it and grow from it. Lily is, at least in this story, trying to find her way out of the hot mess she made of her school life. The fact that Sirius used her emotional torture of Severus to collect his hair and knock him off balance is probably something she's still processing. She has to learn somewhere, and maybe, just maybe, the seed has been planted for her to grow into the kind person everyone _THOUGHT_ she was in canon for real.

As for Severus—he has grown up fast, and there is a lot he has come to terms with that he never had the chance to in canon. For the better.

* * *

 **Feather, Beak and Claw**

 **Chapter Five**

Another AU Crackfic by Corvus Draconis

A gift for The Dragon and the Rose

 _Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach_

 _for the stars to change the world._

 **Harriet Tubman**

The sunset was frozen in time. That was the first thing Severus noticed as he found himself looking out over Hogwarts.

A ruined, half-destroyed Hogwarts.

Broken bodies lay scattered about in many places. People were trying to take care of the injured and dead, move the rubble, and piece together the shattered aftermath of something truly horrific.

A much older Minerva McGonagall stood like a spectre, her face pale and dirty—something unheard of—as she levitated stones off of even more bodies. Another witch was pulling out the bodies as another was tending survivors.

But one was almost familiar—

A bushy-haired witch, her wild dark hair but a mane of discord, was tending to the dead. Each body she washed using water from her wand as she cleaned them off, dried and mended their clothes, and carefully lay them on makeshift mat, pulling their arms over their chest as if they were sleeping.

None of the faces were familiar.

He went closer.

The witch was cleaning two bodies together, washing their skin as if they were alive, cleaning their robes and mending them. She laid them together, placing one hand in the others, united in death. She placed a stone on their chest—something usually put on the grave to keep a restless spirit from rising up and tormenting the living and as a respect to the deceased.

"I'm sorry, Remus, Tonks. Teddy is okay, but I wish—I wish you were here to be with him. He doesn't understand. He may never understand, but he's alive, and he has a future because of you."

Lupin was _dead_?

He had a _son_?

Severus stared at the scarred, careworn face of an older Remus Lupin. He saw his hand linked with the hand of a younger witch in Auror's robes, seemingly so fragile, linked together in life and united in death.

He watched the witch go from body to body, tending each one with the same care as if she wanted them to look their very best for the loved ones who would grieve for them—not battered and broken, bleeding and heedlessly cast aside.

No one helped her. It seemed that the wall between life and death was far too close for any others to see past. Her body moved without hesitation, but she was growing more and more weary—her own body frail, fatigued, and overworked, barely functioning.

Someone was rushing up towards her. She stood, straining as she caught the orange-haired wizard with too many freckles. A Weasley, for sure.

" _No, Ronald," she said, wearily. "You don't want to see him like this. Give me time to clean him up."_

" _He's my brother! I don't_ _ **care**_ _what he looks like!"_

 _He struggled with her, frantic, sobbing._

 _He pushed her to the side, fueled by his grief while she fell down, fatigued to the soul._

 _She sat there, on the flagstone floor as a horde of ginger-haired people swarmed over one body in particular, wailing, crying, tearing at their own hair. She struggled to rise, weary beyond what any person should ever be. "Please, let me clean him up."_

 _She tried to move in to tend the body._

" _Don't you_ _ **touch**_ _him!" an elder ginger woman cried, shoving her away. She cradled the young man's body in her arms, sobbing._

 _The bushy-haired witch cried out, touching her arm where some of the witch's emotionally charged unintentional magic burned her._

 _A hand reached out to her. An older wizard, but younger than the elders. "Are you alright, Hermione?"_

" _Yes, thank you, Bill," she said quietly. "Please, let me clean Fred up. He shouldn't look like this. Not like this."_

 _Bill nodded. He waded in the mess and then pried his mother off the corpse. "Now you listen here. You let Hermione do her job that no one else, not even we could do. You let her clean Fred up and look like a human being instead of a victim. Now you step aside and you hold on to your grief for a few damn minutes and let her take care of him."_

 _Bill's face was harsh, unyielding._

 _At first the older witch looked shocked then angry, ready to tear into him._

 _But Bill stood firm, standing between the body and his mother. He beckoned Hermione over._

 _The witch began her chores, washing the Weasley son with the same care she had the others, cleaning his skin with his clothes as she mended the tears. Even the wounds, she sealed, fusing the skin together so the slashes no longer gaped. She placed a stone in his hand as she folded his hands over his chest._

" _Goodbye, Fred," Hermione said, her tears splashing down her cheeks and onto his hands._

 _The moment she was done, they swarmed the body again, but Bill put a hand on her shoulder as he gave her a small flask. "Here. You're beat. Put something in you before you join the dead. The dead can wait for a bit, love."_

 _Hermione accepted the potion gratefully, silently nodding her thanks. She drank it down and some of the colour returned to her cheeks._

 _She took in a deep breath and then walked on towards the next row of bodies, taking to work._

 _Bill looked on sadly as a blonde-haired woman came up behind him and hugged him, and he turned to her taking her up in an embrace. They stood there until Bill caught the younger boy glaring towards where Hermione had left._

" _What'd she leave for? Fred's dead. Least she could do is shed some tears for him. The dead don't give a shite, but we're his family."_

 _Bill tensed as his arm shot out and he seized his brother by the collar. "Now you listen here and you listen well, brother. I don't see anyone here having the respect to tend the dead, and that witch over there is doing it. Not staff, not the ruddy Ministry, and most definitely not you. So you suck it up and think about all the people like us that just want to see their loved one again—not broken and twisted with the pain of death. They want to remember them as they were. Alive. She's giving us all that gift, and by Merlin, Ronald Weasley, you will show some respect."_

 _Ronald looked like he wanted to protest, but Bill's knuckles whitened as his grip on his brother's collar tightened._

" _Fine," Ronald snapped, turning his head away._

 _Bill released him with a final shake, and Ron begrudgingly stood by his grieving mother._

"This isn't a pleasant memory," Artemis' voice said beside Severus as he watched the vision of pain and suffering all around him. "Of all the ones you'd choose to fall into, this would not have been my first choice."

"That's you, isn't it?" he said, staring at the vision of bushy-haired duty-bound witch.

Ari nodded, brushing back her feather-woven mane of curls behind her pointed, tufted gryphon ear. "It was or would have been. This was the end of the reign of Tom Riddle. The end of Voldemort and his Horcruxes. This was the end of our innocence."

"You survived a _war_?"

"On a great many fronts."

The scene shifted, and they were both floating as they followed Hermione through the rubble, chaos, and bodies. She never let one body go unattended. Each one obtained her tending: friend, foe, and that which could have been either. Unknown to her, Death followed behind her, waiting for her to finish her version of last rights before collecting the soul that clung to the body.

"You never knew Father was right behind you."

"No, I did not," Ari agreed. Death was everywhere, but it was not the same thing.

 _She came upon a crumpled man dressed in nothing but black. A cast off mark of silver and gold shaped into a skull lay discarded beside him._

 _She shivered, pulling her shoulders with her hands. Her eyes closed and she set her jaw, taking in a deep breath, and then she tended his body too._

 _Unknown to her, the spirit was rising up from the corpse, angry and vengeful. It wrapped its ethereal hands around her neck, screaming for bloody vengeance against her. She was becoming short of breath, but she continued on, finally placing the stone on the corpse's chest, folding their hands together._

" _Rest in peace. You were our enemy. You were misguided, but I hope you find some peace in death."_

 _The spirit screamed as it was pulled back into the body, anchored by the stone. As she stood shakily, Death was right beside her, unseen. She staggered, exhausted. She fell, her head resting on her hands as she tried to catch her breath._

"Was there no one to help you?"

"To touch the dead is often viewed as an unclean task. Many societies see that as damning. Untouchable. Lowest of the low. While not all societies treat them as Dalit in the Indian caste system, there are a great many taboos, both Muggle and magical alike."

"Why do it, then?"

Ari smiled sadly. "Because someone had to."

Severus flinched as Hermione was slowly crawling to her feet, walking toward the ominous whomping willow. The willow was still, and she walked right by it—towards the shack. As they followed, Ari's expression grew even more grim, but it wasn't until they stopped that Severus realised why.

 _Hermione fell to her knees beside a tangled, bloody mess of black wool. "I'm so sorry, Professor." She crumpled beside him, placing her head to his bloodied wool. "We won."_

 _She let out a choked sob, her overtaxed emotions finally coming to a head. Her tears were stained with his blood as her body shook with emotion. "Harry is trying to hold things together. He said you were a hero. But I'm sure you'd rather hear anything but that."_

 _She slowly, shakily, began to clean up the blood, his body, his robes. She rested in-between spurts of activity, a heaviness and utter exhaustion showing clearly in every overworked limb. She pulled out a small stone from her pocket, placing it in his hand as she folded his arms across his chest—_

 _And collapsed._

 _Professor Snape's soul rose up from his body as Death beckoned him to approach. He looked down at his body for a long moment and then at the exhausted witch that had used her very last dregs of energy to ease his passage into the Afterlife._

" _Please—" he whispered. "She's cold." He tried to pull something over her, but his hand passed through the fabric. He grimaced as if in pain._

 _Death looked down at the unconscious, shivering young witch and pulled off a piece from the edge of his robes. He passed his hand over it and it transformed into a soft, warm blanket that he passed to Severus, watching silently as the dark wizard carefully arranged it over a now-sleeping Hermione before dropping a light kiss on her forehead._

" _Be at peace, Miss Granger. Carry no burden, for you alone deserve to find peace in this mad, chaotic world. I fear I must leave you now, and I regret—that we could not have met when I was not so jaded and you—"_

" _And rest assured, you were not unappreciated by me, though I was forced to indicate the contrary during our time as teacher and student."_

 _Severus stood._

" _I can only hope that my portrait can guide you where I cannot. Try to be patient with him, for he was painted in a time when pain and bitterness outweighed truth."_

 _Severus' spectre floated towards Death even as he took one long, lingering look backward, true sorrow written across his stern, yet softened features._

" _I am ready now. Shall we?"_

 _Death took Snape's hand in his and they walked through a nearby wall and disappeared._

Hermione's eyes fluttered closed as the scene faded to black.

* * *

" _It's his then?"_

" _I'm sorry, Hermione. He told me you were in one of those Muggle-style open relationships. I didn't know what he meant, so I believed him." The curly-haired blond witch touched her slightly protruding belly._

" _Don't be," Hermione said, her expression sad. "A part of me knew Ron and I were never going to work out. We couldn't even be best mates without constantly mucking things up. I don't blame you, Lavender. I hope, I really hope, that he is faithful to you."_

" _Maybe if he can manage to pull his head out of his freckled arse," Lavender said wryly, rubbing her stomach._

" _Hermione."_

" _Hrm?"_

" _I really hope you find someone special. Someone who actually deserves you."_

 _Hermione placed a kind hand on Lavender's. "I'll settle for a life free of the yoke of a Dark Lord and his mental sycophants."_

" _But, Hermione, Voldemort is dead."_

 _Hermione smiled with a tired knit of her eyebrows. "Here's to keeping it that way, yeah?"_

" _No hard feelings? Really?"_

 _Hermione shook her head. "No hard feelings, Lavender. We can't help who we love. We can only hope that they love us back."_

* * *

" _Hermione?"_

" _Yes, Harry?"_

" _Are you really going to give up a stable job at the Ministry to become a teacher?"_

 _Hermione snorted, shaking her head. "It's a chance to give back in a way that will help people."_

" _You're helping people at the Ministry."_

" _Harry, who is more upset by the idea of me changing jobs? You? Or Ronald?"_

 _Harry tried to say something but his words caught in his throat._

" _Wait."_

 _Hermione turned, her eyes flickering with anger. "Ron just doesn't want his golden connection in the Ministry not there to solve his cases for him."_

" _That's not—"_

 _Hermione stopped him with a heated glare. "Don't. Lie. To. Me, Harry. I'm_ _ **done**_ _with being lied to."_

 _Harry flinched. "Gods, Hermione. You sound just like—"_

 _He trailed off, swallowing hard, perhaps realising exactly what he'd just done._

 _Hermione's gaze went from hot to cold in a second. "This is something I must do for myself. As my friend, shouldn't you support me as unconditionally as you do Ronald?"_

 _Harry looked down. "It's not the same, Hermione. He's a bloke. We get each other."_

 _Hermione let out her breath slowly. "Just because you share mutual penis ownership does not guarantee you will get each other, Harry Potter. Relationships take work to create and maintain, but it cannot exist if only one side does the work._

" _We have a good thing going at the Ministry, Hermione. We're all together, just like in school. Isn't that worth something to you?"_

" _You think our friendship is limited to general proximity, Harry?"_

 _Harry frowned._

" _Harry, if our friendship is true, it won't matter if I'm here, Hogwarts, or Iceland."_

" _Hermione, I just think that you're taking your inability to change things in the Ministry way too seriously. Things take time to change."_

" _I'm well aware," Hermione replied, eyes narrowing. "I've started to realise things only change when they want to. I_ _ **want**_ _this, Harry. You can either support me as my friend or you can continue to do what you always do."_

" _What do you mean, Hermione," Harry said, visibly irritated._

" _You never want things to change, Harry. You find your idea of the perfect life, job, two point five kids, and your friends and family all around you. But relationships are made to evolve, to change throughout our lives."_

" _You're saying you want things to change? That you don't want to be our friend anymore?"_

" _Please don't put words in my mouth. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying change inevitably happens, whether you want it to or not. That's part of growing up and becoming an adult We change, grow, and mature over time, eventually becoming more than we were before. At least, most of us do. That's really not such a bad thing, Harry."_

" _It_ _ **IS**_ _a bad thing, don't you see?!" Harry yelled, red-faced. "My parents died! They left me. They left me with the Dursleys. I finally have the family I want, and I want to keep it!"_

 _Hermione's expression softened. "Harry, you can keep something and still keep growing. I need to do something else. I need to find something I can feel good about. I'm not saying I no longer want to be your friend, Harry. I just want to find my happiness. My thing to hold on to."_

" _Why can't you just be happy with what you already have, Hermione?" Harry looked more haunted now than bitter._

 _Hermione's gaze bored into Harry. "My parents are in Australia and don't even know I exist. The family I want, Harry, I can never have back and even if I could somehow manage to restore their memories, they would never trust me again. It doesn't matter that I did it for the right reasons. It doesn't matter that I ran the Arithmancy calculations over and over and they would've certainly died if I hadn't removed their memories and sent them far away from Britain. It doesn't even matter that they would never have believed that they were truly in that much danger even if I had asked them before taking their memories."_

" _We're your family, Hermione!" Harry immediately protested._

" _So I'm to sit on the sidelines and watch you and Ron raise a Quidditch team of children between you?"_

" _Well, you and Ro—"_

" _Harry James Potter! We have been friends for how many years? But that is all we are and will EVER be. I want someone in my life who loves me for who I am, even with all my faults, but since I can't have that, I want a job I can feel fulfilled in and be proud of. I will keep searching until I find that place. I want you to be happy, Harry, but I won't be standing idle waiting for my life to come to me."_

 _Harry wouldn't look her in the eye. "I really don't think you'd like it there. There is a reason we all graduate and leave."_

" _Someone has to take up the cup of teaching the next generation, Harry."_

" _Come on now, they didn't listen to you when we were going to school. What the hell makes you think—"_

" _Harry."_

 _Herm—"_

" _Shut it."_

 _Hermione shook her head sadly. "You're my friend, Harry, and I really do love you, but you need to shut up before I find a way to hex you and all your future children right out of your body."_

 _Hermione stood and walked out of the Burrow as Ron came in, drinking a butterbeer._

" _Oi, Hermione. Where're you going?" He turned to Harry. "You tell her our plan?"_

 _Harry sighed. "I tried, she said she's taking a job at Hogwarts."_

" _ **WHAT?!**_ _Why the hell would she want to go there?"_

 _The sharp crack of Hermione's disapparate rang out outside the Burrow._

* * *

"How did you not murder them?" Severus asked in astonishment as they looked up at the sunset again.

"They were my only friends."

"Some friends."

Ari snorted. "They treated me better than most others did."

Severus curled his lip. "Slytherin treated me better than that, even when I wasn't a pureblood."

"I was afraid to move on, be alone," Hermione said quietly. "What I didn't realise was that I was already alone, even while I was surrounded in people."

Severus touched her shoulder. "But you sacrificed all that you were to bring the balance back in order—for them, those never appreciated you fully."

Artemis smiled. "Even as we are now, few will ever appreciate us fully."

"Father does."

"That he does."

"Yet you're not angry with your old friend?"

"I"ve been angry with them, but it was always for a different kind of reason. It was my fault, really. For a long time, I let them think it was okay to treat me as they did, so when I finally had enough it seemed to them so shallow of me."

"You take far too much upon yourself."

Ari smiled at him, her eyes warm. "Pot meet cauldron."

Severus snorted. "I'll have you know, my birth father was a homicidal pureblood supremacist posing as a violent Muggle drunkard in order to get my inheritance."

Artemis chuckled. "That makes your burden rather worse than mine."

"You fought a war."

"I survived."

"Prevented it," he reasoned. He brushed a lock of her wild hair back from her face, preening one of her feathers with his fingers.

"If they knew me now, they would be—they wouldn't be very friendly."

"There would be many here who would gladly rearrange their molecules on a genetic and magical level if they even _tried_ to give you a dirty look," Severus said.

Ari sniffed, holding back a laugh. "And where would you be, love?"

"Transfiguring them into a flaming flobberworm."

Artemis laughed heartily. She reached out to touch his cheek, brushing her thumb lightly against his skin as she pushed his long black hair away from his face and behind his ear.

"So, do you wish to be called—Hermione?"

"I'm rather fond of the name you gave me. Who _wouldn't_ be proud to be named after the goddess of the hunt?" She seemed so very close suddenly—close enough that they were almost touching faces. "Besides, you gave me that name. That makes it all the more special."

She touched her nose to his, breathing softly into his face.

Severus shuddered, emotions he wasn't sure what to do with were surging through his body like a strong electrical current. "I suppose I'm not dead after all."

Ari's face twisted into a smile. "Oh?"

His lip twitched. "Apparently my blood pressure is just fine."

"Even in this in-between memory world?"

"I'm pretty certain that upon waking it will be a painful reality." He blew out his breath in one soft whuff. "Which could be a complicated relationship if this shape is only strong in this in-between world."

Artemis smiled. "I like being a gryphlet, but I like _you_ more."

Severus swallowed hard. "A-as a friend? Family?"

Ari snorted. "As my lifetime companion through the centuries? Would you prefer more concise wording?"

Severus twitched. "Yes."

"Friend, confidant—"

Severus frowned with his eyebrows.

"Lover."

One eyebrow rose.

"Husband."

Both eyebrows rose.

"Lifemate."

Severus paled, a sharp intake of breath signalling his stunned surprise.

"Only if you were open to that," Ari said, turning away. She looked away, staring at the memory-preserved sunset. "I would understand if you had other interests. Other options."

"Other—" Severus trailed off. He jolted. " _ **No!"**_

Artemis turned to look at him, and the sunset changed to Hermione standing before the portrait of Severus Snape as he scowled down at her.

" _Do you think that because I valued Potter's mum as a child that I give a damn about what he thinks of me, Miss Granger?"_

 _Hermione looked at him, startled. "I just thought—if he could talk to you—"_

" _Please. His head is filled with far too many reasons to distrust anything I would say, even if I wanted to, and I don't."_

" _But—"_

" _Enough, Granger. Don't think that because I'm stuck in canvas that they painted me with a bleeding heart. I do not give a flying fig as to bloody Potter's well-being, nor do I harbour any desire to ease your turmoil by helping you fix something that cannot be fixed. Any misguided obligation I may have had to a debt I imagined was cured upon my death. Do not think that you were lucky enough to survive the war that you were somehow better for it!"_

 _Hermione straightened her shoulders, a strange coldness settling upon her shoulders as she rubbed her forearm instinctively. Blood was dripping down her arm, seeping between her fingers. She clutched her arm, her jaw tightening as she began to leak emotions visibly—coloured auras and strain manifesting as glows in her blood. She hissed in pain just before her magic flared. She staggered as the blood seemed to escape despite her desire for otherwise._

" _Severus, you sodding IDIOT!" Phineas yelled from his portrait._

" _Why the hell are you yelling at me, Phineas? I'm the one with someone trying to make herself feel better at my expense!"_

" _You're a daft imbecile, Severus Snape! Do you think just because I'm painted that I can't recognise the residue of a Dark-imbued blood curse?"_

" _W-what?"_

" _She's bleeding out from a cursed wound! It's the kind of thing is not exactly common! I would recognise the reek of the corrupted Black magic anywhere."_

" _What do you mean corrupted?"_

" _Corrupted! Perverted! Twisted!"_

" _How the hell would you kn—"_

" _I'm a Black, you blathering ninnyhammer! I would know any Black magic no matter how twisted it had become!"_

" _Dilys, go find the Headmistress," Phineas barked. "I think she's over in the Astronomy Tower trying to see if the stars had kittens."_

" _On my way," the portrait said, disappearing into their frame._

 _Hermione was writhing on the floor, grinding her teeth to keep from screaming as her arm seemed to move, twist, and contort. She tried to hold her wrist down with her other arm, and the Mudblood carving oozed even more blood on the floor._

 _Snape's painted eyes widened in horror as he spotted the ugly word carved into her skin. "Miss Granger—"_

 _Hermione screamed as Minerva ran into the office. "Oh, my lass. Lass! I'm here. I'm here, love."_

 _Hermione sobbed in agony as her arm continued to bleed profusely. Poppy appeared in a bustle of robes, waving her diagnostic wand to assist._

" _It's that terrible old wound," Poppy cried, unable to do anything to take away the pain or even control the convulsions._

 _Hermione shrieked, kicking, screaming, wailing, and sobbing._

" _That bloody Bellatrix Lestrange," Poppy cursed. "If she wasn't already dead, I'd forget I was a healer and wring her neck!"_

 _Minerva said nothing, rocking Hermione to her as she would a young child._

 _A sound was barely heard over her frantic cries, but after a few tense seconds, Hermione's convulsion began to ease. All that emerged from her throat was a bare wheezing sob as a foul blackness poured out of her wound mixed with her blood before the skin finally healed._

 _Minerva looked up at a series of stricken portraits, even as she focused on Severus Snape's even paler countenance. He finished the song-spell and retreated into his frame, disappearing in a swirl of painted cloth. "Severus," she whispered, pulling Hermione close._

Severus, having been stunned by his older portraits conflicting behaviour that ranged from git-bastard, to an odd sudden compassion, barely registered as Ari turned away from him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," she said quietly.

"I hurt you."

"You did not."

"But I saw—"

"That was _not_ you, Severus." She turned to stare at him. "It was a possible you. The you that threw himself into seeking revenge only to try and escape too late. That Severus spent a lifetime making up for one foul word that turned into a greater haunted sin."

"I'm a right bastard."

" _He_ was, yes. You have become something far more positive. You could never be that person because that Severus Snape was a man who had suffered far longer than he ever lived. He lashed out first, regretted forever, but bottled it up until the only thing he had left to give was bitterness and rancor."

Severus's expression was haunted, the pallor mixed with wrinkles around his eyes.

"I had to leave everything that anchored me to that world to help make this one the way it was supposed to be. I do not regret the wish I made. I wanted to give so many people the chance they were not allowed for a life of their own making. Good or bad—but it would be their choices that built or destroyed it, and not the cruel whim of some rampaging megalomaniac. My woes seemed small compared to the lives lost. Families broken. Futures ended. Friendships spiraling downward. The love of a family twisted into some kind of competitive pity party—"

"You couldn't have known your wish would lead to this—" Severus said quietly.

"Had I known, the result would have been the same." Artemis looked into his face as she searched for something only she knew. "People will never have perfect lives—but it will be a life they make against odds that all people face."

Severus touched her cheek, his eyebrows furrowing as his emotion flipped through an entire rolodex of different micro-expressions.

"I want a life with you for there _is_ no life without you," he whispered.

Ari hummed thoughtfully. "There is plenty of life around us."

"But mine would never be complete without you," he assured her.

"I suppose we shall see," she replied, her tufted ear flicking idly.

Ari gave a startled gryphon squeak as Severus' mouth suddenly met hers in an unexpected yet gentle kiss. She flushed, slightly breathless as he gazed at him with surprise.

"Hermione—Ari, I—" he began to say.

 _ **THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!**_

Severus shot up in bed as a golden gryphlet flew into the dark of the room with a chirp of distress. He held his aching head as his eyes fought to adjust to the dark of the room.

" _ **Sev! Sev! Answer the door, Sev! Please!**_

Severus staggered to the door, opening it to find a red-haired witch coming completely unglued in front of his door.

" _ **Sev!"**_ she cried, clinging to his robes. "You _**have**_ to help me!"

"Lily, what in Merlin's frilly underpants are you on—"

"I'm _**pregnant!**_ " she cried. "You _**have**_ to help me!"

Severus' jaw dropped to the ground as the golden gryphlet landed at his feet and stared up at Lily.

 _ **Squirrp**_?!

* * *

"Lily, I can't brew you the potion you want."

"What do you _**mean**_ you can't? Is it about skill level? I _**know**_ you can do it!"

"It's not about whether I can."

"Is this about our fight?"

"No, this has nothing to do with our disagreement as children, Lily."

"Then what is the problem, Sev- _ **OW!**_ " Lily cried out as an ornery little gryphlet proceeded to maul her very not-dragonhide shoes.

"Lily," Severus said, trying to keep a straight face, "those potions can only be dispensed by a healer. To even brew them requires an order from a healer guaranteeing that you won't die from it."

" _ **What?!"**_

"There is a fine line between doing what it does and doing what it does while killing the mother, Lily. That is why a healer must do an exam to tell if your body will react negatively to the ingredients. If I were to just give it to you, you could have a reaction and die. Even brewing it without an order could get me fired and I'd never get another Ministry-related job anywhere in the world."

"But—no one has to know- _ **OWWW!"**_

One brassed-off gryphlet promptly mauled Lily's shoes… _again_.

Lily tried to push the gryphlet off her foot, but she was getting frustrated. She started to pull back her other leg when Severus' hand clenched over her wrist.

" _Don't."_

Lily startled.

Severus reached his hand down and scooped up Ari, cuddling her against his chest. She wriggled and chirred, laying her head against his shoulder and her paw on his neck.

"They'd _know_ , Lily," Severus informed her. "They'd know because she'd march her furry rump right to Amelia's desk and brain dump my stupidity to her."

"But, Sev, she's your familiar."

"She's much more than just a familiar," Severus replied coolly. "She's _family_. And your attempt to kick her off yourself could have my Lord Father dueling you to the death for assaulting his _daughter_."

" _ **Wh-what?"**_ Lily said in a half-screech.

Ari flattened her ears against her head in annoyance.

"The Black family is—complicated, Lily," Severus said. "But nothing escapes the regard of Orion Black, and brewing a contraband abortifacient would have him storming into the room before the last ingredient hit the cauldron. I can't do it, Lily. And I especially cannot when you are carrying the child of a pureblood family who are probably already aware of your popping up on their family tree, eve as we speak."

" _ **What?!**_ But I never _**told**_ any—"

"You don't have to, Lily. If you conceived a child with Potter, you're already married to him."

" _ **WHAT?!"**_

A powerful blast of emotionally-charged magic shattered all the windows in every office in the Ministry, even in the live-in flats within.

* * *

 _ **Potters Announce Marriage of Family Scion James to Lily Evans**_

 _Fleamont and Euphemia Potter announced that their only son, James Potter, was married via magic to Muggleborn witch Lily (née Evans) last week. Confirmation of the Potter family tree and records tome welcomes the new Lily Potter into a family that dates back to the founding of the Sacred Twenty-Eight._

 _Rumours that the marriage wasn't planned were promptly shot down by an incredibly elegant ceremony the likes of which even the House of Malfoy would envy._

 _Congratulations to the new couple._

* * *

 _Time passes…_

* * *

 _ **Memo:**_ _Ministry, all_

 _From: HBOY Amelia Bones, Department of Mysteries_

 _Please join us for the graduation ceremony for our latest team of fully-qualified agents in the field, Search and Rescue Agents Severus, Regulus, and Artemis Black._

 _Don't miss the reception! Anita Martin is making her famous cherry tarts and Softfoot Shadowstalker and Windsong Cloudsinger are roasting a boar just like their grandfathers used to make. Drinks will be provided by The Wiley Weasel Vineyard and Müller's Fantastical Fizzy Drinks._

* * *

"Doesn't it bother you that Ari seems to be having a conversation with our Head Boss of Us without us?"

Severus grunted, sipping from his bottle of Angry Weasel Cider.

Regulus sighed. "Why is it you're taking all of this so well?"

"Ari is perfectly able to take care of herself."

"Yes, but—"

"Amelia is not an imbecile, nor is our sister. Why do you doubt that they can communicate?"

"Well, she's a gryphon."

"Regulus, that's a illogical reason considering you know she can communicate with or without words. You were the one having a chat with her on the couch of the Slytherin Common Room when I came out."

"Well, I thought that was just because she was close to us."

Severus eyed Regulus. "She's our partner and sister, but she's independent. You don't see _me_ butting into your lovey-dovey conversations with Nyx, the Aurory's resident lapcat."

Regulus gulped. "What can I say, she's a sweet cat."

"Hn."

"I've always liked cats."

"Hn."

"And she always seems interested in what I have to say."

"Hn."

"Damnit, brother, can't you say anything else?"

Severus sniffed and rolled his eyes sideways to stare at Regulus.

"Okay, that's even worse. Stop!"

Severus curled his lip as a certain black cat with a stunning white bib hopped into Regulus' lap, purring like a Muggle engine.

"Oh come on, we cuddle Ari all the time."

"Yes, but we do not cuddle _Ari_ with bedroom eyes."

Regulus tried to kick out at Severus, but he connected to his dragonhide boots. He held Nyx to him protectively. "You take that back!"

"You wish me to take back the truth?"

"Yes!" Regulus blurted. His eyes went wide as he snuggled the cat, slumped his shoulders, and then gave the cat a kiss on her tiny nose. "Don't you worry, Nyx. I'll protect you from big meanie Severus who doesn't love cats."

 _ **KERPLOOOOF!**_

In a pink cloud of magic, Regulus suddenly had an armful of beautiful and very naked witch.

Regulus stammered incoherently.

The witch let a startled meow-like sound.

Severus lifted one brow, and Orion stood nearby as he nonchalantly threw his cloak over the starkers witch.

"Normally, my son, I would ask you to seek permission before bestowing the Kiss upon the love of your life and getting magically married, but I'm thinking you perhaps learned something from your impulsive and socially inept brother, after all."

Regulus turned as red as a radish and tried to sink into the couch cushions and disappear.

"Congratulations!" Amelia grinned, raising up her glass.

"Congratulations!" the entire Department of Mysteries staff cheered as they created a shower of colourful confetti with their wands.

Regulus whimpered into the couch cushions. "Just murder me, Severus."

Severus had his arms full of snickering gryphlet. "Oh no, you're not getting out of this one, brother."

"'Bout time you found the one, lassie," Moody said, drinking his punch. "I was tired of trying to tell your mam that you wouldn't be stuck as a cat _forever_."

The black and white haired witch flushed a fetching shade of deep pink. "Thanks, Uncle Alastor."

Moody grunted.

Orion, not even batting an eye, sipped from his glass of punch. "Well, you should probably go tell your mother before the owls or the Prophet do."

Regulus paled.

"And introduce your new wife to her."

Nyx turned pale as plaster.

" _Now_." Orion said, his voice not even wavering.

"Yes, Father!" Regulus blurted, taking himself and his cape-wrapped new wife with him.

"Preferably whilst properly clothed."

Regulus flushed and ran even faster as the assembled crowd chuckled.

"Such a shameless drama-monger, my youngest," Orion sighed. "I _do_ hope that you do not choose to outdo him, my son, and elope shamefully with some as yet unknown lover and have I and your dear mother learn the happy news via the Prophet or perhaps a surprise addition to our family tree?"

Severus paled. "No, Father."

"Ah, good. I would hate to see your mother traumatised so soon after your brother's shotgun wedding."

Ari chirped and leapt up into Orion's arms. She purred and chirred, making squeaky eagle sounds.

"Oh? I suppose, love. I'll be sure to tell your lady mother." He gave the little gryphlet a kiss on the beak. "Thank you for sparing us any further embarrassment in future, my dear."

Severus eyed the gryphlet suspiciously as she leapt out of Orions' arms and jingle bounced off to pounce a startled hellhound pup. They growled and tussled together, playing hard until they collapsed together in a heap of adorable.

"Looks like Kaiser found a new friend," one of the Unspeakables said, chuckling.

"Our Ari makes friends everywhere here," another said, nodding.

Severus tried his best not to react to the small squirming in his gut that the golden gryphlet was cuddling the _wrong_ warm body.

 _You're such an idiot_ , he told himself. _Being envious of Ari's being able to have fun without you is hardly becoming of a trusting relationship._

Still—what _was_ that disquieting feeling that was growing inside him?

As the celebration went on Severus tried to let the happiness all around him distract him from the roiling feeling of unsettlement in his gut.

* * *

Ari poked her head out from the pile of happily snoozing hellhound puppies, having found herself buried in their antics while the party went on well into the night. They were really warm, and she liked that. Being around them made her feel perfectly content to tumble and chase.

The Department of Mysteries always had the best creatures to play with.

People had trickled away back to their homes or the living quarters, and her playmates had tuckered themselves out.

"Oh, there you are my dear."

Warm hands scooped the gryphlet up and was followed by an even warmer snuggle.

 _Oh! Hello, Boss-lady._ Ari snuggled and headbonked Amelia's chin with her beak.

"Enjoy your graduation celebration?" Amelia asked, smiling.

 _Oh Merlin, yes. The hellhounds were extra playful today_. Ari chirred happily and play-batted at Amelia's shoulder.

"I'm glad," Amelia said, ruffling her feathered mane. She eyed the flame-haired witch that was cuddling a girl in a pink onesie with hair just as red as her own and chatting with Severus. A mop-haired wizard stood beside her, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He held two more pink-clad redheads, a sleeping baby in one arm and a crying baby in the other.

And there was one baby boy in blue sporting a wild mop of black hair that was crawling around on the floor, heading straight and unerringly for the hellhound puppy pile.

Ari chirped loudly and launched into the air, springing up off Amelia's chest to do so. She beat her wings wildly, growing rapidly into her much larger, adult size. She let out a _**screee**_ , using her beak to drag against the ground and shovel the adventurous baby into her mouth, gently clamping onto his wriggling, onesie-clad little rump. She leapt away from the snoozing hellhound pups, her ears flat against her head and tail poofed as she looked to see if they were awake.

The hellhounds snoozed on, and the gryphlet sighed with relief as she jingle-bounced back over to where Severus was. She plunked the errant baby into a startled Severus' arms, and the infant reached out to lightly slap Severus' cheeks and giggle, making his mouth stretch into odd faces.

Severus eyed the giggling baby boy with mild consternation.

Harry babbled nonsense sounds as his sisters giggled, cooed, and punched their parents directly in the face with their chubby little fists.

"Ow! What the he—"

James recoiled as a bright pink octopus clamped over his face, muffling his fluent cursing. The baby in his arms only clapped and squealed even louder in obvious excitement.

"Ginger, sweetie, stop that!" Lily cried, holding the other baby in one arm as she tried to keep Ginger from enthusiastically beating on both her father and the unfortunate octopus.

"Sean, stop smacking your mother," James said.

The red-haired baby babbled excitedly, pushing his mother's head sideways and diagonal.

Severus stood, stoic, as he wrangled baby Harry into a magical playpen complete with a stuffed plushie Nundu, hellhounds, and phoenix. Harry immediately put the phoenix's head into his mouth and chewed on it.

Ari sat down next to the playpen and gave the side a bop with her talons every time Harry's magic flared in a temper tantrum, keeping him from escaping—even when his magic turned her into a leviathan, a chimaera, a slobbering Saint Bernard dog, a giant (very confused) lamprey, a sea otter, a treacle tart, and then back into her normal furred and feathered self.

The baby seemed to realise that his magic was not giving him what he wanted, which was escape, and instead gave him a better jailor. Harry's little face twisted into an ugly pout as he prepared to give a tantrum, but Ari swatted the side of the playpen again.

Baby Harry startled and went back to sucking on the plush phoenix.

"Everything okay here?" Amelia asked as she watched Ari watching little Harry like a hawk. "Seems as though you have your hands pretty full there with Harry, Ginger, Brandy, and Amber."

Lily and James gave Amelia a frankly desperate look for help, but the elder witch did not bother offering up any help to them. The Potters' reputation for being a little _too_ overprotective and micromanaging when it came to others even touching their children was quite notorious by now.

Harry was rattling the sides of the springing playpen, and Ffraid popped out of Artemis' mane of feathers and reinforced and anchored the playpen to the floor before scurrying back into the gryphon's concealing feathers.

Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

Harry threw one of his toys at him, and Severus caught it.

"You throw it, you lost it," he said. He flicked his hand, and the conjured plush disappeared.

Harry looked like he was going to wail, but then Ari rumbled a clear warning. He grabbed the nearby stuffed squid and sucked on one of the tentacles, staring back up at Severus with a look that seemed to be almost… understanding?

"Well, at least one of your bairns seems to be a fast learner," Amelia said, chuckling as Harry seemed suddenly all-too-aware of his boundaries even at his young age—at least while under the scrutiny of a certain scowling black cloud of wool and an eagle-eyed gryphon.

"Sev, could you please look after them? Just for one night. Please?"

"No," Severus said firmly. "After that last time, when you accused me of being too harsh on them, the agreement was that your children must have been taught at least basic manners before any further help comes from me."

"But—"

Severus gave Lily a stern look. "They _must_ learn manners and discipline at home, otherwise in ten short years from now, you will be visiting Hogwarts on a daily basis to speak with the headmaster regarding your children's behaviour, make no mistake about that."

Lily looked like she was going to protest when Amelia spoke up.

"They are tired. It has been a very long day for such young children. Put them to bed and most of that crankiness will cease. Your parents have mentioned more than once that they are quite the little darlings, so they must have it in them to be much more well-behaved than they seem to be at the moment. Besides—if they are sufficiently well-rested, you can probably still go to that Quidditch game you want to attend so much. I understand they have excellent family seating arrangements available for those with infants and younger children."

James and Lily flushed a little, having been caught out regarding their true purpose in wishing to be childless for a day.

Severus, having picked up on something, tilted his head. "As I recall, Mr Potter, your family has quite a number of house-elves. They happen to be quite good with children, at least they are here at the Ministry. Do you not utilise their assistance?"

"I do not condone slavery!" Lily blurted out loudly, waking up the child she was holding. She visibly slumped her shoulders at her public blunder.

Collective gasps of hidden house-elves at the Ministry suddenly filled the area. The elves chattered amongst themselves frantically in distress.

"You will find, Lily, that the bond between elf and a family is a most sacred covenant. To not trust them to do the work they wish to do is a grave insult to their kind—They thrive on the pride they feel in their work. To deny them work is to deny them their pride, which brings them nothing but shame. A shamed elf will eventually wither and _die_ if it happens long enough, breaking the covenant between family and elf. You are lucky that the Potter family elves rely on more than yourself for the tasks they adore."

Severus' phantom ear twitched, the sounds of the distressed house elves starting to taper off.

Lily's eyes widened. "But, they won't accept clothes or anything!"

"To give an elf clothes is to dismiss them. No self-respecting elf would _ever_ wish to have clothes given to them. It is the greatest insult one can give to their kind. It tells the elf they are a failure."

When he saw Lily twitch at the epiphany, he added, "If you wish to tell an elf that they have done well, leave what you would for the fae on the mantle during the holidays: milk, cream, churned butter, sweets, mead, or little cakes. Scraps of cloth they can make into their own clothes. Nettle, silk, or hemp fibres are soft when worked—a preferred gift without actually giving them clothes. Mend your bond to your family's house-elves and you will have the help you need."

Lily swallowed hard and nodded. "I had _no_ idea—I just thought—" She turned to James. "I'm sorry. You tried to tell me before, but I was so convinced it was slavery."

James, much to everyone's great surprise, seemed relieved by his wife's reaction. "It's alright, love. I'm sure if I went into the Muggle world, I'd probably take things wrongly in some places too. Let's go home now, yeah?"

They both turned to leave, but James turned back to look at Severus with clear respect in his hazel eyes. "Thank you, Severus."

Severus arched a brow but nodded. "You are welcome… James."

James smiled, reached down and picked up a sleeping Harry (whose grip on his stuffed squid was quite solid) and disappeared with his wife.

"They'll get it right soon enough," Moody said, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand. "Having four little blighters underfoot on the first go is an understandable strain. Still, even with the house-elves, they will have to be quite firm in teaching them right as they grow up. That's a task for parents, not elves."

Moody put a hand on Severus' shoulder. "I'll see you three in the morning. Maybe sans Regulus, thanks to his getting himself magically married to my niece."

Ari snorted, her tail lashing in amusement.

"Goodnight, my lass," Moody said, setting his hand upon her head.

The gryphon headbumped him and thumped her leonine tail into his side.

"Goodnight," Severus said, bowing his head politely.

As the warm wriggle of the now-smaller gryphlet leapt up into his arms for cuddles, Severus' earlier disquiet was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Severus wasn't sure what was going on in his gryphlet's head, but a groundhog, deer, squirrel, Acromantula, giant oceanic cuttlefish, boar, tuna, continentally displaced Nile crocodile, fossa, wildebeest, a somewhat improbable winged jackalope, a muntjac, a suspiciously bunyip-looking "thing", mock-basilisk, a fully intact nest of miniature gryphlets, a clutter of hyperactive, overly helpful spiders, and a mated pair of dwarf quetzalcoatls later, he was starting to suspect that Artemis had just gone flying around the bend and jumped directly to full-on mental.

Everywhere Artemis went, she was being followed by something. The quetzalcoatls started nesting in the china cabinet and hissed at him possessively if he didn't bribe them with something to take a plate or a cup. No insect survived the stealthy webs of the newest arachnid swarm, and the jackalope was strangely good about keeping the floor clean.

Still—at least the crocodile, Acromantula, wildebeest, boar, and normal prey animals were DOA… though waking up in the middle of the night to use the loo was a paranoid experience.

Regulus wasn't getting this strange experience. Why was _he_?

The fossa was eagerly helping itself to any stray rodents, lizards, and the occasional opossum that got into the Ministry, and it seemed to think that the space under the wardrobe was the best denning place _ever_.

Ari was doing her job just fine. He never saw her not completing tasks, failing to track—failing at _any_ thing, really. It was just—why was she suddenly bringing so many random…. _things_ home?!

He couldn't complain about their jobs—between himself, Regulus, and Ari, they were one of the best rated tracker teams out there. They'd helped the like of hit wizards to finding children in the woods to finding people buried in the snow in sudden avalanches. They were one of the few teams that could pass in and out of Muggle and magical jobs without bringing attention to themselves—save for Regulus' dashing good looks getting him into trouble.

Now that he was happily married, that was his most troublesome problem—his looks and natural charisma, that and getting out of his sodding bed chambers to go to work.

Severus' eyebrow twitched.

Severus had to admit that the worst he had to worry about with Artemis was waking up to an unexpected dead animal in the bedroom or some new creature taking up residence in their living quarters.

But _why_ all the new houseguests and random dead things? Maybe he was being too sensitive. She'd always caught and brought him dead things before, but they'd always been small like her. A crocodile was not small in the slightest. As it was, they had enough wild game meat to last them well into the next year—enough to give jerky and preserves to many friends and not make a dent into the hoard.

Artemis was a full-grown gryphon, after all, or close enough. She just preferred to make herself small and portable—the better to enjoy those turkey legs she was so fond of. He had to admit it was easy to be satisfied gryphlet-sized than as a full-grown gryphon with a bottomless stomach.

Severus frowned as he rubbed his head. There was a message somewhere, and he was missing was it?

Ari dragged a large turkey carcass over to the nest of mini-gryphlets, and the entire nest pounced on it, tearing it to pieces with happy chirps and growls. She eyed them critically, making sure each one got enough to eat, to the point where she used her talons and paws to separate them into different areas to eat.

It was strangely motherly.

Severus sighed. Was she trying to tell him something?

Why didn't she just talk to him? He was starting to think he had imagined her being able to speak—but, then again, he wasn't exactly trying to say anything to her. Work had been keeping him quite busy of late, and learning potions on the side had extra distracted with little time to relax and even less to just commune with the gryphon that shared his life. Worse, he'd fallen into a routine of regular habits, taking for granted the unconditional affection and warmth that one little gryphlet always seemed to have just for him.

One of the gryphlets was being super-protective of the turkey carcass, trying to defend it from all the others, save for one, which it let eat peacefully.

Ari waded in, growling lowly, her beak wide open in threat as her leonine tail lashed in unmistakable warning.

The smaller mini-gryph struck out at Ari with a loud hiss, its feathered mane poofed and beak clacking—seemingly oblivious to the vast difference in size. Ari, having enough of that nonsense, reminded the gryphlet who was the master territory holder in the area by pinning the little animal down by the neck and clamping her beak firmly over its head.

The mini-gryph let out a plaintive squawk and went limp, rolling onto its back and exposing its belly in submission.

Just like that, it was all over.

Ari tore the carcass to pieces and distributed equal portions to every hungry beak, even the little male who had been trying to act the tough guy only minutes before.

The mini-gryphs rubbed up against her in appreciation and each dragged their share of the food off into separate corners, under the bed, and the dining room table, having learned the chairs were great places to hide, eat, and ambush.

Once the bones stripped clean of flesh, gryphons instinctively piled them away from the nest, making post-meal cleanup a breeze. They were naturally house-trained, preferring to do their business outside and again—far from the nest.

Severus wondered why they didn't just fly off and make a new nest somewhere—it wasn't like they were being held against their will. The mini-gryphs, however, didn't seem inclined to leave. None of Ari's strangely endearing companions seemed to want to leave.

When it was time to leave for work, the mini-gryphs piled up in the large nest and put their game faces on, fiercely guarding their home from unknown interlopers—the first victim having been Regulus and his new wife, Nyx, who had unthinkingly stopped in unannounced only to be mass mobbed by a entire nest of ornery mini-gryphs.

As Severus trekked over to where Regulus and Nyx had moved into the Ministry residency, he smacked face-first into a rather large spider web.

 _Oops! Sorry, o_ ne of the spiders squeaked at him, having cocooned breakfast in silk. _You're early today._

The apologetic arachnid dutifully tore down the silken web and moved to a new, less-public location.

Well, at least they were polite?

He pulled a moth out of his hair and held it out to the arachnid, and it scurried up his hand and plucked the moth out of his fingers.

" _Thanks!"_

The spider dashed off on a jet of silk, blowing via air currents to places known only to fate.

Nyx was sunbathing in a sunbeam between the open shutters. The sun was filtered in using a series of channels and mirrors, allowing for real weather to be reflected indoors as well as supplying natural light to support the various arboretums—and the resident felines.

Toussaint loved to sprawl out on the "welcome mat" in front of their quarters—guaranteeing that no one was going to sneak in that wasn't on the approved guest list—at least in the mornings. Once they were up and going to work, Toussaint nearly always came with, never wishing to be far from his chosen victims—er, family.

Oddly enough, the Ministry children _loved_ Toussaint and Cadbury, often bringing them both catnip stuffed toys in grande sizes, smoked fish, and many many hands with which to pet them. Thankfully, they all realised that wild Nundu were hardly so magnanimous. The Nundu pair often sunbathed together, cuddling each other as they bathed—and also blocking any and all traffic coming and going with startling effectiveness.

Good thing both he and Ari had smaller, flying forms.

Nyx yawned at him as he approached and then took off after a fly, leaping straight up into the air and neatly spronging off the wall like it was a springboard, snapping the fly up with a click of her teeth.

She then trotted over to the door and let herself in with a headbonk, disappearing into the quarters.

Severus knocked, just in case Regulus was starkers… _again_.

Hearing nothing after listening carefully for a few minutes, he knocked again.

Severus rubbed Toussaint's ears. "Fetch the idiot, if you please."

The Nundu mrowled obligingly and disappeared into the flat, barely fitting his impressive bulk through the door.

 _ **CRASHHH!**_

Mrowl!

 _ **HOLY MOTHER OF FFFFF—-!**_

Regulus stumbled out of the front door, half-dressed in a white dress shirt and a pair of green silk boxers

Severus scowled at him as Toussaint arrived shortly after, carrying Regulus' robe and trousers in his mouth like a prey animal..

Children were pointing and giggling.

"Merlin's crusty toenails, Regulus Black, kindly get yourself decent. You're going to be late for work."

More children were giggling madly as Toussaint nonchalantly dropped the pile of clothing on Regulus' head.

Regulus flushed and dove back into the flat to dress.

"I swear to the _gods_ , brother. I'm going to just let you wallow in bed until Amelia has to come get you. Then you can explain to _HER_ why you and your wife are late to work every single morning."

Silence.

"Ari."

 _ **CHIRP!**_

"Take this note to fa—"

"Okay, okay! I'm ready!"Regulus blurted, staggering out the door with a flaming red face and his trousers on backwards.

Severus lifted one brow. Deciding his brother needed to learn his lesson his own way, Severus said nothing, walking towards the main atrium and the Department of Mysteries.

Orion was standing at the main doors to the conference room as Ari joyously pounced him, rubbing herself all over him until he was sufficiently well-adored.

The elder Black kissed her beak and smiled.

"Good morning, my darling daughter."

 _ **Chirrrrp!**_

Orion took one look at his sons, giving a polite nod to Severus and a look of severe consternation to his youngest son.

"My son, I do not believe that your mother would approve of your current wardrobe choices."

Regulus, who hadn't quite guessed what that meant, just shrugged. "These are my uniform trousers."

"Perhaps—" Orion replied slowly, "but most people would wear them the other way around so they could fasten them properly."

Regulus looked down, having always been able to slide into his trousers without doing the buttons and realised that he had managed to put them on very much backwards

Regulus turned as red as a radish and promptly fled into an empty room to adjust himself.

" _ **AHH!"**_

"Sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Slam!

" _ **AHHHHHHHH!"**_

"I'm so sorry my Lady!" Regulus cried, running further into the Department to find someplace— _any_ place—where he could not embarrass himself further.

Orion tilted his head. "I'm quite glad his lady mother wasn't here to see all that."

"See what?" Walburga said, walking up.

"Your youngest's rather appalling sense of personal dress."

"At least he isn't wearing Muggle fringed leather and wanting a tattoo like our eldest," she said, walking into the conference room.

Orion gave Severus a calmly appraising glance. "Anything you might wish to tell me, my son?"

Severus shook his head firmly. "No, father."

"Well, if you _do_ happen to get yourself married, at least have the sense to lay out your clothes the night before for the morning. Perhaps even with instructional diagrams for reference."

Severus flushed. "Yes, father."

Orion walked into the conference room, disappearing.

"Ah Orion, my old friend," a familiar voice greeted from within. "Thank you so much for donating the funds for a new potions laboratory."

"It is not a problem, Master Bradbury,"Orion replied as Severus walked into the room to mingle. The room wasn't full, yet, so he helped himself to the vast array of tempting pastries on offer with a wide selection of various other morning refreshments.

By the time Regulus sneaked back into the conference room, he had to try and get passed Toussaint, who was purposely sprawling with Cadbury directly in front of the door.

Severus tried not to laugh, but it didn't quite work.

Ari, however, didn't even bother trying, and she chirp-laughed from her perch on Orion's shoulder, looking about two hundred percent smug with perhaps just a splash of sadistic glee.

It was going to be a _glorious_ day—

… as long as your name wasn't Regulus Black.

* * *

Sirius _hated_ his boss. He was a sleazebag through and through, more slippery than a Flobberworm and with a personality to match. The pay was, at least, somewhat better than the wages for waiting tables at the Leaky—something Tom wouldn't even give him a shot at thanks to his less-than-sterling reputation.

But his reputation wasn't going to be getting any better working at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, especially with his boss suspected of moving illegal Dark artefacts both under and over the table.

At least no one recognised him with his newfound abundance of facial hair.

He didn't much like being forced to keep a low profile, but at least being able to hide himself as a dog helped with sneaking into other areas without being noticed—that and old Tom liked to slip him free plates of spaghetti and meatballs. Louisa at Madam Spicy's would slip him one of her overstuffed sandwiches, and Gretchen at Piccadilly Patisserie would save him a few extra pasties from the bakery. He had no shame whatsoever when a full stomach was involved.

Every so often, he could swear he saw old Prongsie marching along down Diagon Alley, but he figured he must be hallucinating. No _way_ could Prongs have four little blighters already!

As he padded down the alley to Diagon, dodging crowds of busy people along the way, he made his way to the side alley next to the Leaky, letting his sensitive nose lead him to tasty, mouth watering food.

He was almost there when he screeched to a halt to find the biggest bloody cat he'd ever seen sprawled in most of the space between the alley and the door, taking up the entire space with its massive bulk. The huge feline yawned, showing no inclination to move or care, or so it seemed.

Tom walked out of the back door with a golden gryphlet bouncing around his feet as he brought a large serving bowl filled with spaghetti and meatballs out and set it down for the Nundu.

"There you go, laddie," Tom said. "Thank you for the venison. I'll be making some great dishes all next month with it."

He picked up the purring gryphlet and snuggled her. She chirred a reply, headbonking his chin. "Come back in, my friend. I'm sure your party is waiting for you inside. The big guy here seems content to eat his meal out here in the alley."

The gryphlet chirped to the feline, and the cat licked his jowls clean of sauce, mrowling in clear satisfaction.

Tom and the gryphet disappeared back into the Leaky.

Sirius took a cautious step forward, wondering if he might slip in, but the giant feline lifted his head and growled, lips pulling back from endless teeth.

Wisely, Sirius decided that perhaps going to a different place and getting fish and chips would be a far more prudent expenditure of time and effort.

He dashed down the street and away, trying to ignore the tasty odour of delicious food and the itching in his brain that told him that he'd seen that gryphlet before.

The only gryphlet he was personally aware of didn't come attached to a feline the size of a Clydesdale, though.

* * *

It was really hard, Sirius realised, to remain incognito when you so desperately wanted to sink your fangs into someone's arrogant arse.

The moment he saw Severus walking down Diagon Alley, the distinctive Hunter-Seeker uniform worn by members of the Ministry's famed elite tracker unit, he wanted tear him to bloody screaming pieces. Worse, he saw the Black family signet ring on his finger.

Even worse, Regulus was walking beside the bastard with such a casual, friendly smile.

Both of the wizards were wearing the family rings, something that _he_ should have but had been denied.

A niggling itch in his mind taunted him.

 _You were the one who distanced yourself from everything your family stood for. Why do you even care?_

 _Shut up!_

"Is this beast _really_ a Nundu?" a young witch asked., tugging insistently on her mum's robes as she gazed at the massive feline, her eyes wide with wonder.

Regulus smiled at her, as disarming as always. "He certainly is, love. Hold your hand out like this, palm up." He placed a fish-shaped biscuit in her small hand.

The little witch carefully held out her hand, trembling slightly.

Toussaint lowered his muzzle down, his long whiskers tickling her as he delicately licked the crunchy treat out of her hand.

The little witch giggled. "Wow! Mummy, did you _**see**_?"

"I saw, darling," the older witch smiled.

"Daddy says you work for the good guys. You find people that get lost."

"We do," Regulus confirmed.

"So you could find Fiddles?"

"Cassie, this isn't the time or place—"

"But Fiddles is my _**friend!**_ "

"Cassie, Fiddles isn't r—"

"She _**IS**_ real! Don't _**say**_ that!"

Toussaint snuffled the little witch's robes thoroughly and then leapt up onto an awning and onto the building, clambering up to the rooftops.

Severus sighed but said nothing, privately boggling that the awning in question was able to support Toussaint's not inconsiderable weight.

Ari chirred, radiating pure smugness.

"I'm so sorry, Hunter-Seekers," the woman apologised profusely. "My Cassie is only five, and, well… ."

Severus tilted his head. "Nundus enjoy challenges. That he left means he has found something. It may not be what you _think_ it is, however."

Ari chirruped, clacking her beak. The little girl looked at her with wonder, but the gryphlet dove into Severus' hair, disappearing from scrutiny.

Cassie blinked, perhaps wondering if she'd seen anything at all, especially with Severus' stoic expression. The moment she looked away, Ari poked her head out.

Cassie looked again.

Ari disappeared.

Cassie looked away.

Ari poked her head out again.

By the time Cassie started to suspect something odd was going on, Toussaint returned, bounding down the side of the building and landed on all fours with a graceful ripple that only cats seemed capable of. From his mouth dangled a strangely colourshifting puffskein. It tried to blend in, but the Nundu's mouth was proving very hard to imitate.

Cassie's face brightened and she squealed. "Fiddles! You found him!" She snatched the Puffskein from the Nundu's jaws and hugged him so tight the little fluffball squeaked. She then hugged both the Puffskein and the Nundu at the same time. "Thank you so much for finding him! He's always getting lost!"

Toussaint's tail flicked back and forth lazily as he tolerated the child's embrace on his face.

"Fiddles is _real?_ " Cassie's mother boggled. "And a _Puffskein?_ "

"An exceedingly rare one," Severus said, peering at the tiny creature that was trying to blend into Cassie's robes and disappear.

Regulus' eyes widened. "That's a Chamelopuff. They're so rare to find these days because they breed pretty slowly compared to the other species. They also like to blend in. You're very lucky to have found one that really likes you!"

Cassie hugged her purring puffball friend.

Severus tilted his head and spoke to the mother. "I would highly recommend having the 'puff properly registered at the Ministry." He handed Cassie's mother a card. "Please talk to Madam Bones in the Department of Mysteries. She is especially interested in rare and magical species and those who cohabitate with them."

Cassie's mother nodded. "Thank you. I—I had _**no**_ idea Fiddles was real!"

"I _told_ you he was real," Cassie pouted, crossing her arms and huffing.

"You also told me there was a Jabberwocky in your pillow."

"That was different!"

"And the miniature army of radioactive spiders?"

"They all ran away."

Cassie's mum looked duly suspicious.

"The Moravian Slime Camel?"

"It _sneezed_ on me, mum!"

Ari chirred curiously from Severus' shoulder.

"We definitely need to speak with Madam Bones," Regulus said decisively. "The sooner the better."

The sound of Toussaint's growl reverberated down the alleyway, and both Hunter-Seekers raised their heads together. Ari made sharp clacking sounds with her beak as she peered towards the area in question.

Severus released Ari from his shoulder, giving her the silent signal to seek, and she flew off her favourite spot and glided off to investigate. Both wizards touched a pin on their lapel, and their uniforms gained the working sash that told others to clear the way as they were on duty and tracking someone.

They moved together as one, making no sound at all as they focused on following the silent signals from the working gryphlet. They attuned themselves to her movements, knowing what was tell and which was her normal body language. Toussaint, too, followed them, eerily silent and fluid.

But when they found the gryphlet sitting in a cold puddle in front of Gambol and Japes looking utterly dejected, dyed bright pink and soaking wet, they couldn't help but wonder what (or who) she had found before the store's perimeter anti-theft ward had caught her.

Many of the stores had such deterrents—security charms that set off some sort of alert or spilled something colourful and obnoxiously smelly on anyone who attempted to come around after hours—but for some as yet unknown reason, Ari seemed _particularly_ perturbed.

"Are you all right?" Severus asked, kneeling down to clean her off with a few spells, neutralising spells, and other spells used to nullify security safeguards while on the job—all such spells went on the record directly to the log back at the DoM, so using them while working was protected under their job. Neither Ari nor Toussaint were the type to throw protocol into the wind. Ari was far too responsible, and Toussaint was far too attuned to Ari and his team to tear off in some random chase on a mere whim.

There was a rattle and clank from inside the store as two men dressed in brightly-coloured pyjamas opened the door and stared out blearily.

One eyed the bright pink gryphlet and the Hunter-Seeker uniforms and paled significantly. "Ah, may we help you, Hunter-Seekers?" the one asked rather warily.

"We were tracking something suspicious, but our tracker here seems to have run into your perimeter wards, gentlemen."

Ari shivered then let loose a flurry of sneezes, clearly miserable and smelling to high heaven of polecat spray mixed with pungent garlic and week-old trash.

Toussaint curled his lips from his fangs, unimpressed.

The two wizards promptly went white at the sight of Toussaint.

"I'm so sorry," the one man said. "We've had that ward up ever since some berk stole a box of exploding smoke bombs and some of our best joke supplies. It has a time delay on it so it would only trip if something was there ten seconds after the initial breach. We figured if you were just walking by, that was plenty of time to walk by the door and keep going."

The other wizard wrung his hands nervously. "We hope none of you were hurt by this?"

Ari sneezed a cloud of daisy petals out of her nostrils and glowered darkly at them.

The one man held out his hands. "If I may, my lady?"

Ari still glowered, but Severus placed a gentle hand on her feathered head. "Just don't make any sudden movements."

The man performed a series of incantations, and soon the bright pink faded away, Ari stopped sneezing out flowers and the stench of polecat, garlic and rubbish thankfully disappeared.

"I'm _**so**_ sorry," he said. "Truly."

Ari lightly touched her beak to his hand and chuffed.

"We would appreciate the relevant counter spells being registered at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Regulus said with a nod of his head. "So any future run-ins while in the pursuit of a target does not lead to a smelly, wet, and well—that." Regulus was good, but describing that hideous trainwreck of wet, smelly, and irritable gryphlet was well beyond the scope of most polite vocabulary.

"Of course, gentlemen," the man answered. "If I may ask, was there something you needed to check inside our establishment?"

Ari chirred.

Severus shook his head. "No, she is certain that no one actually went inside your store."

The two wizards seemed utterly relieved, and they nodded together.

"Brother," the one wizard said to the other. "We should make this right."

"You're right of course."

"Look, we really want to make things right for our blunder. Please, we have some prototypes that are too easily used for malicious purposes, but perhaps they might serve you well in your pursuit of some of the shadier elements in our community. Could we meet to discuss it in the near future?"

He reached inside to get a card from the nearby table and offered it to them.

"I will bring your message to our boss," Regulus said with a bow.

"Thank you," the two shop brothers said together. "Good night."

As they disappeared back into the shop, Severus, Regulus, Ari, and Toussaint carefully stepped out of range of the wards.

The Nundu yawned and placed his head over Regulus' with a resounding thump. Regulus tried hard not to buckle under the huge feline's weight.

"We should check on the shop before we return home," Regulus said.

Severus nodded. He soothed the irritated gryphlet's feathers and rubbed Toussaint under the chin as they walked down the alley.

* * *

As Regulus and Severus walked into the Nundu and Gryphon Apothecary, Rabastan gave a nod from the shelves he was tending as Rodolphus waved a quill from where he was filling out inventories.

"Good evening," Rodolphus said with a tight smile. "Long evening already?" he asked, noting the uniform sash.

"Oh, crud," Regulus said, touching the pin on his collar to turn his duty status off. The sash disappeared with a soft foop. "Yes, they caught wind of something that piqued their interest, but Ari got ensnared by the joke shoppe's security wards as she was chasing. They had some sort of new wards. Time delay, and she passed in just as it did the final sensory check."

Ari flattened her ears against her head as she bounce-jingled over to Rabastan and rolled onto her side on the shelf, demanding belly rubs. The wizard chuckled, obliging her. "Good evening, Lady Death."

Ari chirred with appreciation, wriggling her legs in blissful abandon.

Rabastan picked her up and cuddled her, eliciting her deep purr-chuckle, and she snuggled into him happily.

"Why do you call her that" Regulus asked.

"It is who she is," Rodolphus said, signing on the parchment. "We have a few restocking needs, Severus. The hair tonic sells well, of course, but we also have the need for Bath in a Bottle and pain potions."

"Father will be glad to know that Sleekeazy's is still in high demand," a voice said as James walked out from the back carrying a giant crate of field kits. "I have the field kits Amelia ordered. The medical bandages, plasters, clot sticks, antiseptic balm, topical pain liniment, Dittany, wound sponges, tape, soap, sterile water, gloves, tweezers, eye drops—well you know, everything."

Severus snorted. "Amelia is quite thorough. No field agent unprepared."

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has an order too, but Amelia was quicker. They are jealous, I'm sure," James said with a smile. He set the crate down on the counter. "Do you wish to check the order, Severus?"

"I'll do it," Regulus said, shooing Severus off the crate.

Severus gave him an all-suffering look, but stepped aside.

Toussaint snuffled the crate and snorted, sending one of the bundles flying. Rabastan caught it and put it back smoothly, not even flinching.

"How has business outside of contracts been?" Severus asked.

"Very profitable," the Lestrange brothers chimed together. "The Dark magic leeching gauze and hair growth tonic sells as much as the Sleekeazy's."

Severus snorted. "Vanity is our best seller."

"Our business is hardly complaining," Rodolphus said with a laugh. Orion stopped in to check on how we were doing. He also ordered us some branded vials, flasks, and crates for us. I think you'll like them."

Severus arched a brow and picked up one of the dark cobalt bottles. The seal of the Nundu and the gryphon rampant on the simulated wax seal was pressed into the glass. Each bottle and vial was beautiful.

"Blue for the potions, green for tonics, brown for the salves, black for the wizard line, rose for the witch products—" Rabastan recited. "Orion really thinks of everything."

"I think we'd be hard pressed to find anything that Orion Black wasn't prepared for."

"World peace," Regulus said. "No one is prepared for that."

Severus sniffed. "So it would seem." He clicked his tongue as he looked over the order. "Everything here is ready to go. I'm sure Amelia will be ecstatic."

Rabastan chuckled. "If she keeps spreading the word about us, we're never going to see the end of the orders. Not that this would be bad, but James may never see his family again."

James flailed his arms. "There are times when I feel being swamped in work is preferable to screaming babies. At least they aren't walking—yet. Harry was trying to climb the coat rack and brought it down on himself. He's not even walking, but he's already in trouble."

"Justice," Severus said, eyebrow arching.

James sighed. "My parents said the same thing."

Ari chirred laughter as James facepalmed.

"The house-elves are happy helping out, though. That's probably the only reason Lils hasn't murdered me yet. I can't be there and work at the same time."

"Pregnancy and having four children are hardly rational states of logic and sanity," Rodolphus said. "A cousin of mine had twins and was quite mental by month two. Mind you, they had no house-elves thanks to a bad case of elf-pox. Lost them all."

"I didn't realise elves had fatal diseases," Severus said. "I'll admit to not knowing much about them."

"Kreacher said they normally don't unless they are neglected. I mean—not given enough things to do. Idle elves sort of waste away. It's why most families have standing orders for their elves about watching for clutter or some such thing, so they don't stand around and yank on their ears and beat themselves about the head."

Ari seemed to frown with the discussion of house-elves, her ears were flat against her head.

Severus put a hand on her head, soothing her. "Well, our Lord Father has been bringing up to the Board of Governors about house-elf education classes for first years at Hogwarts—because normally house-elves don't wish to be seen. Students think things just magically take care of themselves, and if they don't come from Wizarding families, they'd never know the wiser. Muggleborns would just assume house-elves were enslaved. He said they are working on integrating it with a basics English and maths class that Minerva McGonagall wishes to have."

"It's funny how the Muggle students tend to come in strong in the basics of English and maths and know so little of the magical world. Wizarding children know more about magic, at least in theory and lore, but often fail in writing and maths," Regulus said. "Sirius and I used to hate father's insistence that we learn such things before Hogwarts. It wasn't until we got into Hogwarts and saw how badly most of the other purebloods were at it that we realised our father was not just trying to torture us. That was probably one of the last things Sirius and I agreed on before he got it in his head that I was evil like the rest of the family."

Ari bumped into Regulus' hand and demanded his attention be on petting her and not wallowing in his brother-induced drama. It worked, as Regulus cuddled her and pressed his face into her feathers and fur.

"It is almost dinnertime, you all should wrap up and get home and enjoy your evening. Nothing here has to be done now. It can wait for tomorrow."

"You're the best, boss," James said with a wink. "But I know you just want to torture me by sending me home to my children."

Severus quirked a smile. "Who me?"

"You are a sadist," James said, lifting his chin in defiance.

"Hn."

"You don't even disagree."

Ari had wriggled free of her pets and swiftly pegged James on the rump, driving him back into the storerooms.

"Ack! No! Not my arse! Lily likes it _un_ bruised! Staaahhp!"

Severus and Regulus exchanged glances.

* * *

 _ **Badumpbadumpbadumpumpump!**_

A mini-gryphon stampede was making a mass migration across the arboretum.

Severus raised one brow as Toussaint put a paw down every so often to make the gryphlets jump and regroup before tearing off in another random direction.

"What's gotten into them?" Severus muttered, reading _Tracking the Untrackable: Clear as Mud._

Nyx went bounding off to join the group of gryphlets, causing them to chitter and chirp excitedly.

Severus sighed.

"Why the heavy sighs, brother?" Regulus asked, sitting down beside him.

"They're going mental," he said, turning a page in his book.

"Where is Ari?" Regulus asked.

Severus flinched, putting down his book. "I think she's miffed at me."

"Ari? Surely you jest."

"She brought me another dead giant antelope," Severus confessed. "I tripped over it on the way to the loo and—"

Regulus sighed. "You got shirty with her?"

Severus rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "I—I just—yeah."

"I swear to Merlin, Severus," Regulus said. "You're so far above everyone sometimes that I forget you're oblivious."

Severus glared at Regulus.

Regulus shook his head, refusing to be intimidated.

"Brother, look—" he pointed to where the mini-gryphs were all trying to bring plump mice, lizards, and sparrows over to the one she-gryphon in the bunch. "You have no problem knowing what that means, right?"

"Odd mini-gryph courtship," Severus said with a frown.

"Okay, so multiply that by a few thousand in mass and you get—"

"A really _big_ sparrow."

Regulus thunked his head into his palm. "You know—I give up. Just turn yourself into a gryphon and hopefully you'll figure it out. Honestly, I'm not sure _why_ you haven't figured it out yet. Maybe you're waiting around for some other sexy male gryphon to come by and sweep her off her feet and prove to her she's been wasting her time waiting for a _dunderhead_."

Severus scowled. "What bloody rot are you speaking of, Regulus?"

A loud cackling _**scree-chirp**_ suddenly caught their attention, and a grey and white blur materialised as a great male gryphon as he carried in a huge walrus in his talons. He banked like a master, not even wavering slightly as his wings flapped to break. He thumped down his prize in front of none other than a wide-eyed Artemis.

 _ **Scrrrreek!**_

The grey gryphon's head crest wobbled and bobbed as he opened his beak, dancing with his head, flipping his wings out in a peacock-like fan. He slowly extended his beak and gently preened the back of her neck. Ari's eyes closed slowly as she appreciated the attention.

They parted, hopped, beak clacked, bounced, tussled, and then preened each other.

 _ **SCREAAAAHH!**_

Another gryphon flew in, wings aflare with vibrant macaw-like plumage. He carried a giant forest hog in his talons as he banked and dropped it down. He land-bounce-flared his wings, tail swishing. He moved his wings back and forth, causing a swirl of colour as he opened his beak in display.

The grey gryphon was decidedly _not_ amused, and he displayed more determinedly.

Ari looked back and forth between both, her headcrest rising up in curiosity.

 _Jingle._

 _Bounce._

 _Tussle._

 _Beakclack._

 _Jingle._

 _ **BadumpdumpdumpDUMP!**_

The three gryphons went ploughing through the arbouretum, the two males chasing the single female, determined to show the other up.

Meanwhile a pale yellow gryphon landed near the growing pile of freshly-killed offerings carrying an enormous bull moose. He looked around, headcrest rising and falling with the jumble of thoughts. He dropped the moose and bound-flew-landed-ran after the growing gryphon party.

"Mating season, eh, Martha?" an elder wizard chuckled as he played wizard chess with a witch dressed in peach-coloured robes.

"Wonder who will impress her, our Ari," the witch said. "She must be attracted all the virile young males who have seen her out hunting all this time."

"Think she finally gave up on him and decided to let the males do the courting?" the wizard said with a laugh.

"Don't blame her," the witch replied. "Apparently whoever she was bringing all those offers to was far too stupid to realise what she was on about. Idiot."

"Well, looks like she has plenty to choose from now," the wizard observed, swiftly moving his queen to safety.

"Well, it's been almost a whole year now, Aaric," the witch pointed out. "I say good for her for exploring her options."

"What would you know of exploring options, Martha? You married the first wizard that asked you," Aaric jibed.

"Doesn't mean I wasn't exploring my options just in case he didn't pull his head out from his arse," she replied with a sniff. She moved her piece and chuckled, "Checkmate, Aaric."

The wizard glowered down at the offending chessboard. "Witches. Dark magic in the whole lot. _All_ of you, I say."

Martha just grinned cheekily.

Regulus stared at the pale-faced Severus. "Oh, so _now_ you get it." He shook his head. "Probably best this way. I mean, it's not like you can really marry a gryphon, right? At least I'll finally get to tell our Father that he was wrong this time."

Severus' head jerked up sharply. " _ **What?**_ "

"He said you two were going to be like old Great, Great, Great—hell, I can't remember _how_ many—Aunt Ursa who supposedly attracted the eye of a bear forest god in Greece and ended up travelling the cosmos with him."

Severus' eye was twitching.

"It's just a story, though," Regulus said. "Some of Father's stories are, well, pretty out there. Even knowing our real family history. I mean, some cousin running to America to be a lumberjack and wrestling his best friend an ox named Babe? The real reason the skies light up on the poles? Come on."

Severus jerked his head to the side, pointedly avoiding staring at the antics of both mini-gryphs and the larger male gryphons trying very, very hard to impress the less numerous but highly treasured females.

Regulus nudged him with his elbow. "Come on, let's go out to dinner. Nyx wants Italian. She's even got a cute friend for you." Regulus wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Severus paled.

"Come on, brother. You can't remain single forever. It's not like you're still pining over a lost love with Lily." Regulus' eyebrows scrunched up with concern. "You're in the prime of your life. Half the DoM of marrying age stares after you, not that you ever bother to notice. Hell, half of those in relationships would dump their wizards in a second if _you_ were interested in them."

Severus glowered at Regulus. "I'm not interested in people who just see galleons whenever they look at me."

"Oh come _on_ , brother," Regulus scoffed. "You're never going to find someone if you don't get out there and try."

Severus' expression twisted into something resembling true fear. His gaze fell on Ari's suitors, and he felt a disquiet grow in his stomach.

Ari, however, no longer looked at him. He had already told her what to do with her offerings, after all.

Severus winced. _What a dunderhead._

* * *

"Severus, are you trying to scare off every potential witch on this side of the world?" Regulus asked, exasperation practically clouded out his ears like steam clouds.

Severus scowled, his ear tufts flattening against his head.

Regulus watched as the latest witch he and Nyx had attempted to set Severus up with flee from the Ministry atrium.

It wasn't that Severus had been rude or even unkind, but he was about as responsive as a standing stone to any and all attempts at conversation.

Regulus sighed. It was like he wasn't even trying. Either that, or he was really trying— to be a total bastard.

If any witch tried to, gods forbid, _touch_ him, Severus immediately stiffened and looked utterly uncomfortable as if he didn't know how to to function.

"I am not," Severus answered, his scowl seemingly at odds with his answer.

Regulus snorted. "Brother, I've seen you be more accommodating and even considerate to prisoners than what you've given these poor witches!"

"Poor— witches? Don't be daft," Severus said. "They do not desire me. They desire my name. They desire our family. They desire our family's coffers."

"How can you be sure?" Regulus insisted. "You don't even give them a chance!"

Severus curled his lip. "If a charlatan showed up at _your_ doorstep, would you just let them in? Invite them to take the china out of mum's cupboard?"

"Of course not!" Regulus blurted.

Severus gave him narrowed eyes.

"That is hardly the same thing!" Regulus protested.

Severus waved one hand dismissively. "Their thoughts are loud enough that it does not take much effort to read them."

Regulus frowned. "You'll never find someone if you always close yourself off to everyone."

Severus clenched his fist, his knuckles going white. "You may have found the love of your life and gotten married to her a swift, telling demonstration of marriage magic, but not all of us can be so lucky."

"No, you have the love of your life right in front of you and your fucking yell at her for showing interest in you in the only way her instincts could tell her!" Regulus hissed. "Is it any wonder she's accepting new suitors after that dismissal?!"

The two brothers stared at each other, each seemingly equally horrified— one with what he had said and the other with extreme guilt.

Severus was on his feet and on his way with only the swirl of his woolen robes to mark his passage.

"Severus, wait!" Regulus called out, staggering to his feet in pursuit only to hear the distinctive _**crack**_ of his brother's Disapparate.

Regulus slammed his head against the doorjamb. "Shite."

* * *

Nyx poked her husband with her finger. "Why are you sulking with your head in the flower planter?"

Regulus groaned. "I told my brother he was being a coward about dating."

Nyx blinked at that. "Well, he was, wasn't he?"

Regulus rolled his head back and forth in the flower planter's dirt, smashing violets into his face. "Yes."

"Then why are you so upset about it?"

Regulus sighed heavily. "Because he holds grudges like no one else I know."

"He needs to grow up," Nyx said, frowning.

Regulus slumped. "You don't understand, love. He's far more grown up than anyone else his age. He just doesn't— easily trust people. He's had very little reason to."

"Well not everyone is out to kill him!" Nyx protested.

Regulus fingered his family ring. "You have _no_ idea how lucky you are to not have been involved in our family dramas from before," he said sombrely. "While you were cursed to remain a cat until you found your true love, it protected you from a great many dangers. Had I not been apprenticed to Masters Cloudsinger and Shadowstalker, I could have been a victim of the war or ended up fighting blindly for one side. All paths led directly to death."

Nyx looked horrified as her eyes went wide and the blood drained from her face.

"I thought mother had cursed me to keep me from ever finding love," Nyx said. "I'd hear Uncle Alastor say I was much better off as a cat. I thought— he was just being a bastard."

"She probably saved your life," Regulus said. "All I know is that Ari and Severus belong together. He knows it in his heart, but his heart and his mind aren't talking together. Somehow— father knows it has to be her."

"But she's a gryphon. He can't marry a beast!"

Regulus took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't think Ari has ever been _just_ a gryphon," he said quietly.

"She's an Animagus?"

Regulus cocked his head. "No, my love. If Rabastan's and Rodolphus' theory is correct, she is Lady Death— the daughter of Lord Death, Hades, Osiris, Desmondon, Keeper of the Doors, He-Who-Walks-Between— there are so many names, all for the same timeless, immortal Being."

"Death has a _daughter?!_ "

Regulus smiled. "Who would dare object? You?"

Nyx looked around, perhaps wondering if anyone was there listening or watching. "No," she finally squeaked out in reply. She frowned after a while "You just accept that?"

"In our family?" Regulus chuckled. "You'll find out sooner or later that our family is anything _but_ ordinary, love."

Nyx shuddered. "If every male in the Black family is like your father, no wonder the name Black makes people hesitate to stand up against them."

Regulus scratched his chin. "Father will always listen to both sides for before making a decision. It's just when he makes a decision, that's pretty much the end of discussion."

"Hardly fair," Nyx said.

"On the contrary, I'd like to think I was quite fair in listening to both sides before making decisions," Orion said with a velvety purr that seemed to come from the depths of the Underworld itself.

Nyx sprang off where she was standing, her eyes wild and her hair practically standing straight up at attention.

Orion leaned up against the nearest wall, cradling a fussy gryphlet. The gryphlet was trying to burrow her way into his robes so that only her rump stuck out— her leonine tail dangling from under his armpit.

Nyx's eyes seemed to spin the wheel on emotions only to get stuck somewhere between mortification and wonder.

Orion, chuckling, tickled the gryphlet's rump and shook his head. "She found the best possible way to ditch her suitors."

Nyx blinked. "By making herself tiny?"

"No, by using her father as a bodyguard."

Nyx seemed even more confused as the talk of Severus and Ari and who and what Ari was and also the fact that Ari was a Black as well. It all swirled around inside her head and bounced off the inside of her skull almost audibly. She looked out into the courtyard to see a number of full-grown male gryphons peering woefully into the residence at Orion.

Regulus chuckled. "Father, you have somehow managed to intimidate an entire group of would-be gryphon suitors."

Orion shrugged. "Ah well, it's not like I have any other daughters for which to intimidate their suitors. I might as well get it all out of my system while I can." The elder Black stood up and smiled, taking the gryphlet with him as he walked out of the residence.

The group of male gryphons gave him a _very_ wide berth.

Nyx wrapped herself in her arms as if to give herself a hug. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to your father."

Regulus grinned. "He keeps us all on our toes, love."

Nyx shivered. "I'm not going to be able to sleep for a week," she muttered, visibly uneasy.

Regulus took his wife into his arms and rubbed her back soothingly. "My father would be happy to know he still intimidates the very air we breathe."

Nyx hugged him tighter, perhaps wondering what in Merlin's name she had married into.

* * *

Severus stared at the reflection of the moon over Black Lake watching the squid toss grindylows out of its area. The grindylows made strangely amusing squeaking sounds as they bounced across the surface of the lake before splashing to a halt and sinking below the lake.

"Enjoying the show?" Magorian rumbled.

Severus startled, his feathered crest standing straight up on his head.

"Sorry to startle you," the centaur said with a chuckle. "You seem to be on a far away planet, chasing stars on your celestial chariot."

Severus grunted, rotating his shoulder and stretching. "I am a _fool_."

"I hate to break this to you, my friend, but we are all fools when it comes to something," Magorian said. "For me, it was— apple fritters. There wasn't a thing I wouldn't do for one. My dam thought me a true fool."

Severus frowned. "You went mental for apple fritters?"

"Still do, unfortunately," Magorian said. "I let the fillies braid my tail with ribbons. _Pink_ ribbons."

Severus couldn't help himself. He laughed out loud.

"So what has your tail in a knot, young Severus?" Magorian asked. "Why sit and watch the squid deal with his interlopers instead of flying the glorious night sky with She-Who-Pounces?"

Severus twitched. "I think I offended her."

"Oh, well," Magorian said. "That's fine then."

Severus jerked his head up. "You call that helpful?"

"I call that hopeful," Magorian corrected him. "Tell me what you just said."

"You know what I just said!"

"Tell me anyway," Magorian said easily. "I'm a centaur. I have a short attention span. Who are you again?"

Severus' face changed colours a few times, settling on dusky rose. "I said I think I offended her."

"See? Perfect. Still hope."

Severus' face squished in on itself. "How is that hopeful?!"

Magorian looked at Severus like he'd gone completely mental with a side of bludger to the head. "Do you not hear what you say? Or do you just blurt out the first words that come to mind and simply spin the dial on appropriateness?"

"Whut—" Severus trailed off, flustered.

"Say it again."

"What? No!"

"Again, Severus."

"I offended her, alright?! I made a sodding fool of myself, insulted her, and offended her!" Severus blurted, his fists tightening.

"No," Magorian said patiently. "That's _not_ what you said."

Severus slumped. "I know you're trying to be helpful and all that rot, but I really want to punch you right now."

Magorian chuckled. "Say what you said originally. Again, Severus."

"That I think I offended her?"

Magorian gave him exquisitely arched eyebrows that quite possibly signed "Yes, and?" in eyebrow-ese.

Suddenly the glassy look drained away from Severus' eyes. "I am truly an _idiot_."

"We all have our idiotic moments," Magorian said with a shrug. "I can smell apple tarts coming from the Headmaster's office. I can always tell when Dumbledore wishes to parlay about the state of the treaty. He has Minerva bake those delicious apple tarts and buttery shortbread gloriousness."

"Bribery?"

Magorian chuckled. "I give him time, not necessarily agreement."

Severus sniffed. "Still seems like bribery to me."

Magorian shrugged. "I can give him time. He at least suffers enough to open the door with food, unlike that department in the Ministry that thinks they can just come here with an untidy mob of officious humans and expect quality results. At least Amelia politely consulted with us about how to control the portal gate that connected the forest to the Arboretum in the Department of Mysteries to help the herd stay connected to its members. You and She-Who-Pounces may have worked hard to make it happen, but it was Amelia and Silvanus that worked hard to make sure the legal language did not— how _did_ that intriguing Alastor fellow put it? Screw the pooch?"

Severus snorted, aspirating his own saliva at the very thought of Alastor being— crotchety curmudgeon Alastor Moody around a herd of centaurs. The trio had, at least, had Kettleburn to help ease them into centaur society. Being young when it had happened probably helped too. Moody was— well, Moody.

Severus, Regulus, and Ari all had the advantage of meeting many of more practiced curmudgeons of the Ministry when they were young. Ari, too, was a natural social lubricant, much like tea for the British, paving the way for her human partners to make even more connections in the Wizarding world.

Severus stared down into his lap. "I fear my window to forgiveness is already closed," he said.

"Is she dead?"

"What? _**NO!"**_ Severus stared at Magorian with an aghast expression.

"Then the window, as you say, is not closed," Magorian said easily.

"How is it that you manage to make the most difficult things sound so—" Severus trailed off.

"Simple? Obtainable, even?"

Severus squinted at that. "Yes."

"It is simply a matter of not allowing my mistakes to paint my coat forever, Severus," Magorian said. "Wounds heal; mistakes happen. Life happens. And those of us old enough to know the world goes on with or without us know that forgiveness is as much a part of life as the mistakes. Those who cannot forgive are truly the loneliest, most shallow people in all the world."

Severus thunked his head against his knees. "I don't know what to do. What to say."

"Say you're sorry."

"But that doesn't even _begin_ to cover it."

"What does?"

"She is my everything," Severus whispered. "I cannot imagine a day or night without her. I cannot imagine life without her." He thumped his head against his hands. "I devoted my life to her, but I never thought— I never said anything out loud, outside of my mind, my dreams. I should never have taken her for granted. I should never have simply assumed she would always be there."

 _ **Plunk**_.

Severus startled as a gryphlet slid down his head and landed in his lap.

Ari's wide eyes stared into his as she wriggled from her supine position, legs pumping as she tried to gather her dignity.

Severus looked around to find Magorian had disappeared like a ghost into the stone.

"I—" Severus stammered.

Ari stared up at him, her golden eagle eyes expressing pure astonishment.

Severus gently stroked her head crest, his face wrinkled with a jumble of emotions. "I'm sorry I wasn't listening to you. I was so wrapped up in everything that I took for granted you would always be there. It— frightens me to even think of you ever not being there. I—"

Severus' brows furrowed.

"There is no one else for me, I think— I believe I finally understand what Father told me." Severus sighed, pressing his head to Ari's headcrest. "I would have to pick out a mate amongst the House of Black because that was where you were. Our magic is already bound by the true House of Black and our true Father. But I would have to choose. I could not simply assume the choice had been made. I should not have assumed that things would be plain without words— without action. I am sorry."

Ari jumped to the ground and quickly transformed into her humanoid form. "I apologise," she said, her mane of wild curls whipping around in the wind. "I assumed as well— that my intentions were perfectly plain. That what you said in our dreams— what _we_ said— you would remember. I should not have done so. That was unfair to you. Here, you are attached to so much more than just I. This is the time you were born to. You cannot help but be drawn to its inner workings, to its people."

"You're wrong," Severus said as he closed the distance between them. "The reason I am attached to this world is because you are in it. _You_. Ari. Hermione. Without you, there is no world for me. You are my world— wherever you walk. Whatever places you wish to go, allies you wish to make. I would share that journey with you—"

Severus flushed. "If that is what you wished."

"You're brilliant, Severus," she said, her feathered crest rising through her gravity-defying bushiness, "but sometimes, you're so thick."

Severus startled, his brows furrowing.

"Did you think I brought you courting gifts because I wanted you to go away?"

"I—" Severus stared down at his buttons. "I wasn't thinking all that clearly. I'm pretty sure I'm mucking up everything I wanted to say."

Just then, a large stag went bounding by, and Severus was on it in a flash, taking on his gryphon form with record speed as he launched onto its back and clacked the hook of his beak deep into the stag's neck, ripping open the side of the neck, very neatly ending its struggle. He huffed, his eyes whirling as his feathers stood on end for a bit. He then dragged it over to Hermione and lay it at her feet, pressing his head down over the back of his prize as he stared up at her. His feathered crest rose and fell with his rollercoaster of emotions.

Hermione shed her human form and tore into the carcass, carefully extracting the heart from the stag and lowering it to his beak with a soft chirp. Together, they ate, finishing off the heart before moving on to the treasured, softer organs. They had already eaten, so they did not gorge themselves, content in the other's company as they preened the bits of blood and gore off each other's faces.

 _I accept your proposal,_ Ari rumbled, her leonine tail flicking. _But, maybe we should take the remainder of the stag to our centaur friends. I'm sure they'd love the rest._

Severus chirped, giving a shrug.

They launched onto the carcass and, together, carried it off into the deep woods—

Only to find the camp was alive with celebration.

The elders accepted the stag readily, placing it on an open spit to roast, but there was already food in abundance, from warm apple fritters, cranberry glazed roast boar, assorted game birds—

"Is that a water buffalo?" Severus asked in astonishment as he shed his gryphon form. Hermione appeared at his side, looking somewhat nervous in her human form. As a gryphlet she was fearless; it was amazing to see the difference sans a layer of feathers and missing a beak.

"Ah, my son, it took you long enough," Orion said as he stepped up next to Magorian. His eyes were bright and utterly smug.

"You win again, husband," Walburga said with a sniff, scratching under her veil with one hand.

Orion grinned, giving his lady's hand a gentle kiss.

Minerva McGonagall, who was chatting with one of the elder mares, gave a smile and nod to Severus and Hermione. "Bout time, you two," she said with a mischievous wink. "Alastor was thinking he'd have to explain away hordes of gryphon suitors for another year before something happened."

Severus flushed red as Hermione turned bright pink and looked skyward.

"I fear your brother and his wife have been detained in tar."

Hermione and Severus exchanged glasses. "Tar?" they said together.

"And feathers," Alastor added wryly as he walked in carrying a large basket stuffed full of smoked salmon and trout.

Hermione made a small, confused chirping sound.

Severus rubbed her back soothingly. "Please explain before we make something up."

Alastor laughed. "I believe my niece had some sort of hare-brained plan on how to catch the person who was raiding the commissary at night. They evaded all the wards and stole all the coins and candlesticks."

Hermione frowned. "So they doused themselves in tar and feathers and just, well… waited?"

Alastor grinned. "No, they found the culprits—Nifflers, I might add—but in trying to catch them, they might have tripped their own traps and ended up tarred and feathered along with the Nifflers. Whole family of them and then some extra."

Severus snorted. "Defeated by Nifflers. That's my brother."

Hermione chuckled. "So what happened to these baby Nifflers and family?"

Moody sighed. "Some idiot 'rescued' them from their holding cage and they escaped into Diagon Alley."

"I doubt that is going to end well for the person who rescued them," Orion said. "Shiny things will quickly disappear in a very distinct area surrounding a Niffler's den."

Minerva scowled. "Like quill nibs, silverware, chandelier crystals, and Poppy's entire cupboard of remedies?"

Severus and Hermione eyed the Deputy Headmistress. "Yes."

Minerva sighed heavily. "Damnable Hodgkins. I think I know who liberated your Nifflers."

Severus lifted a brow.

"We thought Hagrid was bad with all his breeding experiments. The new gameskeeper is a bit of a save the animals fanatic. Goes around freeing things in his spare time. Had to be put under Wizard Oath to tend to his duties here after he tried to free the owls and the House elves. Albus is trying to find a replacement, but few people want to come tend the grounds and not be a teacher." Kingsley popped out of the foliage carrying a huge platter of fresh baked apple and berry tarts, causing quite a few centaur to whip their heads around and take notice.

"Hrm, if you don't mind your groundskeepers having to leave on search and rescue missions from time to time, maybe you can bribe these two into taking up the job." Kingsley grinned as the foals eagerly helped him find a place for the tasty tarts.

"Does _every_ one get on well with the herd now?" Severus asked, boggling at how full the herd's encampment had become.

"Is it not a good thing to have a large pool of unquestionable allies?" Magorian teased.

Orion touched his nose, giving Severus a wink.

Severus frowned even as Hermione beamed.

"How wonderful," Hermione said.

"Congratulations, my daughter," Walburga said warmly, taking Hermione into an embrace. "How proud we are that your courtship was finally accepted."

Severus flushed as Hermione hugged Walburga.

"Actually," Hermione said. "He gave me a wonderful buck to gain my interest."

"Oh?" Walburga said with a drawl. "How _wonderful_."

Severus flushed an even deeper crimson.

Orion placed something into his son's hand. "One cannot have a proper wedding without these, my son."

Severus stared into his palm to see two shining rings that seemed both metal and created of stars, as if someone had plucked them from the very sky and formed space itself into rings. They were cool to the touch, yet pulsed with warmth. When he touched them with his finger, wings of the gryphon flapped as the celestial beak opened and let out a soft _scree_. Severus managed not to drop the rings in startled surprise at the magic held in his hands.

"Ah, Minister Minchum, welcome," Magorian greeted. "I see you did not get lost finding your way here?"

"Magorian! No, I somehow managed not to," the Minister for Magic said with a laugh. I am glad the portal was more forgiving than my map-reading skills."

The centaur leader chuckled, gesturing at him to join the celebration.

"I do hope you have the rings. The last one I did today forgot the rings and ended up weaving rings fashioned out of tiny vines and transfiguring them— only they didn't withstand the binding magic."

"Did they explode?" Ffraid asked, bouncing on all eight legs. "That would be most unfortunate."

"Unfortunately," the Minister said with a sigh. "This is why we tell people to craft rings that can withstand the power of Old Magick. Who wants to spend their wedding night in Mungo's, really?"

The spider rubbed her abdomen. "Seems legit."

Severus eyed the spider and sighed. "It seems like everyone saw this coming but me."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Ffraid said with an arachnid shrug. "I was betting she would have to drop an elephant on your head before you figured out what she wanted."

Severus turned deeper red almost dropping the rings as Hermione herded the spider into her mane of hair.

"Eee! Okay, hiding!" Ffraid said.

"My friends," Magorian said, hushing the crowd. "Today we are gathered under the stars to witness the wonder of friendship that spans a lifetime, of love that stretches between friend and family, and the journey shared in the company of ones that can rely on to make the trails less arduous."

Magorian took a soft cord woven of the softest spider silk and wrapped Severus and Hermione's wrists and hands together as they clasped the other's hands. "Today we affirm a bond already made. A loyalty already forged. A life already shared. Today, we put words to what has already been made, proof to what has only grown with time."

Magorian placed both hands on each of their hands. "Some of us have known you since you were but children. Some of us have known you before you were hunters. Before you were seekers of the lost. We have seen your mistakes and your triumphs. Your captures and your escapes. Today, we see you not as one or two but a part of a greater being."

Magorian gestured upward as Minister Minchum moved his wand over their joined hands.

"Under the stars as witness, may what you have be shared together," Magorian said.

"Do you swear upon the Old Magick that you take each other as your one true partner, through life and to death, as friends, family, and mates— that there is no force upon you— that this choice is made freely—"

"We do."

"Do you swear upon the Old Magick that the bond you share shall endure the test of time through sickness and health, through disagreements and accordance, through happiness and sorrow, success and adversity— for as long as your souls are as one?"

Severus looked at Hermione, his face softening. "I do."

"I do," Hermione said, her hand tightening in his.

Magorian squeezed their hands together with his. "Do you promise to harbour patience and understanding in your hearts as well as you are able— to listen to your mate before making hasty judgments— to not lay down together when angry or assume without having asked?"

Severus closed his eyes. "I do."

"I do," Hermione said, her head crest rising out of her mane of frizz.

As Minister Minchum waved his wand with the binding magic, Magorian placed the rings on each of their fingers. The very stars seemed to come down from the heavens and set themselves into the rings. They shone brightly, twinkling like living stars. The cords around their hands and wrists shone like the moon and sank into their flesh, disappearing with a rush of heat.

"You are life mates under the eyes of the Herd, Severus and She-Who-Pounces."

"You are husband and wife, bound and blessed by Old Magick," Minister Minchum said with a smile and final wave of his wand.

For a moment the very Earth seemed utterly still as an eerie silence descended upon the gathering. Then, the night was filled with the hoots of owls, nightjars, and other nocturnal creatures of the night rose in celebration. The swirls of magic surrounded them, and they rose in their gryphon forms. They rose on their rear legs and locked their fore-talons together as gryphon rampants. They loosed a dual _scree_ that ended in a leonine roar.

An aethereal pair of gryphons formed in bright magic and cast itself into the stars over Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest, mirroring the mated pair as the seal over their territory solidified and sealed. The centaurs reared as the Nundus roared and Marahute let out a thunder-crackling screeee.

Cadbury and Toussaint nuzzled each other as Marahute and Fawkes (who had appeared with the silent stealth of a feline) made interested chirps at each other. Shadowstalker and Cloudsinger shook their heads together.

"What happens when a phoenix and a thunderbird get it on?" Cloudsinger asked.

Shadowstalker looked at the impending Nundu cubs in the making. "At least as much trouble as Nundu cubs, most likely."

"Fireproof everything," Magorian said, clapping them on their shoulders.

"How do you disease-proof an entire nation?" Cloudsinger asked.

Shadowstalker rubbed at his chin. "Very carefully, I would say."

Orion put a hand on Minerva's shoulder. "I think they just solved your 'who will take care of the grounds' problem, Minerva."

The cat Animagus gave a soft meow-like sound. "It has to be approved by Albus."

Orion smiled. "I could speak with him."

"Ooo, could I watch?" Magorian said excitedly. "I'll even try to fit up that bloody staircase. I want to see the old beard try to tell a mated pair of gryphons that they can't settle in their chosen territory!"

"But they're married not—"

The two gryphons launched into the air, chasing each other into the night sky.

Orion smiled smugly, his eyes slightly narrowed as his lips pulled into a tight line. "Give them a few minutes and that will be covered."

Minerva turned a pale shade of Scottish thistle in the firelight. "Oh."

Fawkes warbled and burst into song with Marahute, filling all hearts with joyous celebratory exaltation.

Ffraid tapped Minerva on the chin with one leg. "Can I stay with you tonight? I'm pretty resilient, but we tend to stick to the nest when there is a mating flight going on, and they don't have one yet."

Minerva startled. "Um, okay?"

"Yay!" Ffraid said, diving into Minerva's curls.

"Let's eat!" Magorian said, clapping his hands, and the gathered all dug in to the food with happy celebration.

* * *

Albus yawned and walked up to the gargoyle, having spent the night trying to explain to Professor Babbling that releasing a family of Nifflers into Hogwarts was _not_ proper teacher behaviour.

The gargoyle eyed him silently, looking rather annoyed.

"What's gotten into you, Armand?" Dumbledore asked, rubbing his head. "Ice mice."

The gargoyle stepped aside, somehow managing to look even more aggravated.

Dumbledore walked up the spiralling staircase and opened the door leading to his office—

And he was swept down the staircase by a rampaging flood of lemon sherbets and biting licorice snaps. The snaps chomped on his beard and nose as the sherbets pushed him down and out like the floodgates of a dam had been opened. Albus tumbled arse over teakettle down past the gargoyle and into the hallway, landing prostrate and breathless on the flagstone floor with his purple hat perched on his arse.

One black and one golden gryphlet slid down the mountain of lemon sherbets like riding a wave, each making cheerful _screees_ of pure happiness as a rather baffled-looking Toussaint came sliding down with them. The gryphlets chirred and gave the gargoyle a large turkey leg. Armand took the leg with gratitude, giving the gryphlets both a slurp of approval.

The gryphlets chased Toussaint down the hall and out onto the green, tearing across the grounds at full tilt as the sun just began to rise over the far horizon.

Meanwhile, Armand perched himself on Dumbledore's back and proceeded to tear into his smoked turkey leg, his stubby tail wagging wildly.

Fawkes and Marahute landed on the nearby window and peered down at the amusing scene below them. Fawkes tilted his head back and let out a loud, cackling warble as Marahute laughed like a kookaburra. The two birds then entwined their necks and merrily sang _Lemon Tree_ in perfect harmony..

The future was looking very bright indeed.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back in the Forbidden Forest…_

"Two eggs. A girl and a boy," Walburga said.

"Two eggs, both boys," Bane said.

"Both girls," Firenze said.

"Four eggs, two of each," Magorian said.

Orion rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Three eggs. One female. One male, and an adopted hippogryph."

Minerva raised an eyebrow as she heard a yell coming from the direction of the Headmaster's tower. A smile crept across her face. "Three eggs. One lass, one lad, a hippogryph, and a Nundu."

They laughed and continued to bet well into the morning until two very smug little gryphlets tucked themselves into Orion and Walburga's laps. Toussaint curled up next to Cadbury and shared wide and toothy yawns.

Alastor sipped from his flask. "I know better than to bet against any of you lot."

"Think we should go rescue Albus?" Minerva asked thoughtfully.

Moody drank from his flask again. "Naw, let em contemplate what full grown gryphons would do to him if the gryphlets already have him beat."

Minerva smiled. "I think I may like you, Alastor."

Moody smiled. "Mutual, ma'am."

Back at Hogwarts, Fawkes and Marahute continued to sing cheerfully as the students and staff went about their morning wondering where on earth the Headmaster had run off to.

"Armand, if you are quite through eating, could you kindly let me up?"

The gargoyle's tail wagged madly.

Albus sighed in resignation, his wand just barely out of reach.

* * *

 **End of Chapter 5**

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Boxing Day! Big thanks to The Dragon and the Rose for staying up past her expiry hour to beta this chapter. Praise her!

Have a Happy New Year!


	6. Chapter 6

**Beta Love:** The Dragon and the Rose, Dutchgirl01, Flyby Commander Shepard

 **A/N:** My intentions were not to make a long story of this. I never seem to be able to make this happen, even when I want to.

* * *

 **Feather, Beak and Claw**

 **Chapter Six**

Another AU Crackfic by Corvus Draconis

A gift for The Dragon and the Rose

 _What, sir, would the people of the earth be without woman?_

 _They would be scarce, sir, almighty scarce._

Mark Twain

Evil was creeping into his family, even more than he suspected long before his baby brother sorted fucking Slytherin, Sirius realised.

His whole family was Slytherin, but he _had_ hoped that his brother would eventually see the light.

But this paled in comparison to his best mate having betrayed him by working not only with Slytherin but under that greasy boil on humanity's arse. The fact that his arrogant, oh-so-perfect father had actually _adopted_ Snivellus made his teeth itch.

The well-gilded Nundu and Gryphon Apothecary was a foul stain on Diagon Alley.

The brightly-coloured storefront and the vast array of colourful bottles lining the front window disgusted him. Sleekeazy's was in a prominent position in various sizes and dispensers, and it didn't take a master to put together that the Potters had teamed up with the Apothecary for distribution of their most popular invention. Judging by the stream of ministry officials going in and out, they had bagged a few important contracts as well.

He recognised the stone and ironwork his father had commissioned for the house at Grimmauld Place in the shop, and he saw the same carved reliefs he remembered from the Potter home inside the store. He imagined that the rest was filled in by whatever rot the bloody Lestranges liked.

He'd never forgiven the brothers tosser for having seduced Bellatrix away from him. She'd been the only one to really get him. The fact his mother and father had tried to keep him away from her only proved that they were trying to turn him into something he could never be. He could never be a slimy Slytherin.

A small whisper inside him tried to bring up that Bellatrix had been Slytherin too, but it was drowned out completely

 _Half-sister,_ the voice insisted.

He ignored it.

 _Orion and Walburga tried to save you from your father's line of insanity._

 _Shut up. Shut up!_ _SHUT UP!_

 _Bound yourself to the crazy side of the Black family._

" _ **FUCKING SHUT UP!**_ " he yelled.

Shoppers in Diagon Alley all turned to stare at him, shuffling their young ones as far away as possible.

He clutched his head, pulling on his shaggy black hair.

 _You broke out of your family home to go shag your own half-sister, you blithering idiot!_

Sirius looked up to see Snivellus standing with a bushy-haired witch. He was pointing up at the signage where an enchantment caused a placard to shift from saying "potions," "wizard and witch-care products," "custom elixirs," and other drivel that had no importance.

No, what mattered to Sirius was wiping that look of normality from Snivellus' face. The git did not deserve to be content or successful. He did not deserve to have a witch touching him so casually. He most certainly did not deserve to wear the name of _his_ family.

Rage was an old and cherished compatriot, and he saw everything in shades of dripping crimson. His heart sang for blood—to excise the malignant tumor of greasy Snivellus from his family tree. He would paint over his face and positively _revel_ in it.

His wand found its way into his hand, and he felt its eagerness to leap into action as much as his mind wished to go there. His lips twisted upward in an eerily familiar mocking smile as his head turned to the side and back in a strange, almost serpentine dance not unlike a cobra following a flute.

Sirius had a spell on his lips before he even realised he was casting, driven to cast Darkness upon his foe and sent him reeling into the dark.

This was for having the gall to join _HIS_ family.

This was for believing that he could.

This was for thinking he was anything but an insufferable pox upon the buttocks of any and everyone.

This was for the years spent at St Dymphna's.

This was for Bellatrix.

An unhinged giggle came from Sirius' throat.

He loosed his spell, the twisted green beam surging forward with eager, eldritch fingers.

The spell smashed into an invisible barrier as Snivellus and the witch went diving in different directions.

A pair of huge—warcats?!—pushed out of the front door, their very breath like clouds of smoke. Spiders streamed out of the awning, shooting silk from their spinnerets as the Lestrange brothers followed, wands out and faces painted in alert focus and scorn.

The larger feline roared, the ground shaking in the low vibration as they moved to surround and zero in on the offender—

But nothing prepared Sirius for being ploughed into by a rampaging stag. The stag knocked him off his feet as he stole the breath from his lungs. His breath tickled his face as his eyes locked with his once-friend's. His antlers pierced Sirius' coat and pinned him against the next shop over's storefront even as a nest of mini-gryphlets poured out of hidden hidey hole and proceeded to attack his leather clothes.

Sirius, half coated in super-sticky spider silk, pinned by antlers, stalked by a pair of Nundu, and attacked by overzealous territorial brassed-off mini-gryphs, let out a wheezing breath.

Just as Sirius was about to take them all on in his insanity, the toddler that had hitched a ride on his father's head, reached over and grasped Sirius's head with his hands, giggling hysterically.

"Hehheheheheheh!" Harry babbled and then he slapped Sirius's face.

 _ **KERPOOOOOF!**_

Harry's powerful accidental magic turned Sirius Black into an extra-fluffy stuffed plush dog.

Harry took Sirius up and squeezed him.

"Bark!" the plush cried. "Bark!"

Harry giggled and cuddled him tighter. "Woof!" Harry cried. He squeezed Sirius tight and chewed on his ear.

The pair of Nundus sat down and peered at the plush with confusion as the spiders scurried back to the store. The mini-gryphs seemed satisfied with their vengeance and disappeared back into the store as well.

James popped back into his human form, cradling Harry. "Uhhh."

Severus and Hermione pulled themselves up off the ground and exchanged looks.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't think even karma gets any more disturbingly appropriate than that."

James scratched his head as an Auror in brown robes came rushing up. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. I was a few stores down putting out a fire."

"Bark!" Sirius-plush said. "Bark!"

The Auror cocked his head with confusion.

"I saw him!" the shopkeeper from the neighbouring store said. "He had a mad look in his eyes. He sent some sort of Dark spell at the Blacks right in front of the store!"

The Auror waved his wand over the toy and stared at the adorable black dog plush with curious horror. "So, um, who did this?"

James grunted. "That would have been my son, Harry."

" _WOOF!"_ Harry said, beating the Auror over the head with his new toy. Each bonk caused the dog to bark.

* * *

 **The-Boy-Who-Foiled-a-Family-Tree**

 _Harry Potter, the young son of James and Lily Potter, became the unwitting hero of Diagon Alley yesterday when he turned the unstable rogue member of the Black family into a harmless stuffed dog toy._

 _Sirius Black, who had a history of mental instability after sealing himself to the magic of his original pre-adoptive family, had attempted to attack his brother, Severus Black, and Severus' new wife, Hermione Black, in front of their own apothecary: The Nundu and the Gryphon._

 _Witnesses describe a rage-maddened Sirius Black storming forward with murder in his eyes and sending a Dark spell directly at the couple. Thanks to extensive shielding and wards on the storefront, the spell was negated, but the aftermath ended with the young Harry Potter grabbing hold of Sirius Black and transforming him into a cuddly plush toy._

 _How did little Harry get close enough to do such a thing?_

 _James Potter confessed that in his haste to defend the store against his former best friend, his young son had "hitched a ride" on his father's Animagus form, grasped onto Sirius Black, and given Sirius a magical hug._

 _Thankfully, Sirius Black had already been wrapped tightly in silk and pinned in place before little Harry had his way with him, as it were._

 _The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, after having performed numerous scans on the plush in question, fitted the toy with a specially enchanted collar to ensure nothing will happen in the future should the spell eventually wear off, then returned the toy to the arms of young Harry Potter._

" _Accidental wandless magic performed by very young children is extremely powerful and most often purely selfish in nature," Head Auror Gawain Robards stated. "I can only guess that young Harry wished for a toy that would never leave him, and his magic made it happen."_

 _The special collar is enchanted to teleport the toy (or changed form) to a special holding cell in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as to not endanger young Mr Potter in case whatever enchantment does wear off. Multiple groups of experts have scanned the enchantment including a few that specialise in childhood wandless accidental magic._

" _Usually childhood incidents are reversible. They are often emotionally charged, which makes it stronger than something we, as adults, would normally be capable of due to our control. Later in life, we exchange that raw power for control, lest we be a danger to everyone around us. An adult with no conscious control over their magic having a temper tantrum could have dire effects not so unlike that found in adults who have suffered brain injuries or children who were so oppressed that they became hosts for the magical parasite called the Obscurial (or Obscurus)—perhaps one of the most dangerous beasts in that loss of control allows it free, but it itself is difficult if not impossible to control due to the power of the repressed emotion," Master Healer Codsworth from the St Mungo's Children's Ward. "I've consulted on many cases, but transfiguration from human into an object usually wears off quickly due to the child's age and magic reserves. This case is quite exceptional in that it seems quite permanent thanks to the young lad's deeply seated need for a companion that will not leave him. All attempts to exchange the transfigured plush dog with a replacement have not fooled the boy. "_

 _Orion Black, whom many consider the decisive Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, could only state that had young Harry Potter not taken Sirius into his own hands (quite literally) that he would have been forced to disown Sirius from the family tree and strip him of his family magic as per the oldest family magic the Black family has known. "It would have been the last resort to bring him back to sanity—sometimes the Black family magic can be too much for an individual."_

* * *

Toussaint let out an extra toothy yawn as he used one paw to corral a cheeky little mini-gryphlet from getting into trouble. The gryphlet let out a soft chirr of mischief denied, tail swishing as the rest of his body was pinned by a paw and claws.

Cadbury licked his face and ears, grooming his fur.

"Poor things can't get into any trouble with you two on guard, eh, Cadbury?" Shadowstalker asked with a laugh.

The Nundu mrowled and seemed quite smug as her partner rubbed her ears and then under her chin. She purred with appreciation.

"Are the mini-gryphs causing trouble again, Softfoot?" Hermione asked, poking her head around the kitchen door.

"Pleasure denied them," Shadowstalker said, laughing.

Upon seeing Hermione, the mini-gryph squirmed to get to her, and Toussaint let the bundle of mischief go. The mini-gryph pounced her feet and then lifted his forelegs to be lifted up.

Hermione picked the beast up and cuddled him. "Troublemaker," she admonished, rubbing his belly.

The little gryphon looked at her adoringly, giving off chirping giggles as she rubbed his belly fur and under his chin.

Hermione put the mini-gryph over her shoulder, allowing him to dangle from both sides. The little beast purr-churred in approval, his leonine tail flicking lazily to fwop against her cheek from time to time with a soft thumping sound.

"The boys out finding that lost witch at sea?" Softfoot asked.

Hermione nodded. "Severus refuses to let me go out there and wipe the floor with idiots 'in my condition'," she said, her lips puckering to the side as her eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, he knows that a female gryphon has a habit of eating her problems after tearing them into small, bite sized pieces."

Hermione huffed. "Really? I do have some control."

Shadowstalker laughed. "Who is to say that someone doesn't do something really, really stupid and it triggers an instinctive need to tear them to pieces."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose, but you should know that if anyone is going to tear someone to pieces for stupidity, it would be Severus," she retorted.

Softfoot laughed heartily, startling the Nundu and the mini-gryph.

Hermione went to the window and opened it, allowing the mini-gryph to leap out and join his fellows in "helping" tend the hippogriff paddock. Unlike humans, mini-gryphs had no respect for hippogriffs unless they showed it first, so the hippogriffs were bowing to _them_ instead.

"At least the hippogriffs aren't tearing each other to pieces anymore. I think Toussaint gave the one male a serious talking to—with his teeth." Hermione shrugged. "Must have been one of Hagrid's old besties. Stubborn, spoiled, and refused to do anything without a bow and a ferret involved. Well—for the first day or two."

Shadowstalker grinned. "How are you liking the double paycheck?" he asked, chuckling. "Not many people can say they work for the Department of Mysteries and Hogwarts at the same time. Hunter-Seekers at that."

Hermione laughed, shaking her head as she plucked a bucket off a fluffy spider's head and sent him scurrying off.

"Our Head Boss of Us saves us the more interesting cases, but she is kind enough to accomodate for our unusual circumstances. Severus and I take turns teaming with Regulus for most jobs, leaving one of us to man the fort, as the say. Sometimes, however, it takes the three of us."

"That Bradburn case," Shadowstalker said. "It's you three and Windsong and myself, not to mention Toussaint, Marahute, and Cadbury."

"I don't think I've ever seen Amelia so cross," Hermione confessed. "She never likes to show all her cards, but the fact that the Ministry waited until they were lost for a month before contacting her—that entire family was lucky to be alive."

"Good thing Cadbury's nose works in bogs," Softfoot said, scratching his head.

The Nundu raised her head, hearing her name.

"Oh, don't you worry, my lass," Shadowstalker said with a laugh. "You're on maternity leave with Hermione here."

Cadbury purred and rolled over.

"Feels odd being on maternity leave when I have a nest full of eggs in the next room."

"Happily incubated by a rampaging horde of mini-gryphons."

Hermione laughed. "That too. One extra hippogryph egg thanks to that fight in the paddock," she added sadly, her eyebrows doing the frowning for her. "I'll admit, I didn't expect hippogriffs to lay eggs. I thought they were sufficiently mammalian for live birthing. This is why I'm not the Care of Magical Creature professor."

Softfoot laughed. "Could have fooled me with your Entourage of creatures tending your home."

Hermione grinned. "I don't have to teach anyone about them."

"Kettleburn says thanks to you and Severus, the creatures on the grounds are far less spunky about trying to remove his remaining limbs."

" _Spunky_? Is _that_ what he calls them?" Hermione snorted. "They were terribly spoilt. I think that was a remainder of Hagrid's way of treating them. He did, admittedly, train the thestrals to harness for the carriages well enough. As for the hippogriffs, the mini-gryphs seem to be much better attitude adjusters in that case— _ **OI!**_ _**Get your face out of my fanged geraniums!"**_

Hermione watched the squirrel get a rump and face full of geranium fangs as the brassed-off flowers defended their turf with toothy abandon.

"Aw, pets," Hermione cooed, gently stroking the irritated flowers. "Squirrels just can't help but dig in your soil." She pat the soil back down and gave the flowers some water that formed in her hand and then dribbled down her fingers into the soil.

The geraniums rustled and rubbed up against her skin, seemingly happy again.

Hermione pulled a small bottle from the shelf and carefully dripped one drop into each flower's "mouth" and tickled them under their petals. Each geranium seemed to purr and promptly gave her a donation of fangs into her palm. "It's Severus' new fertiliser her developed. They love it."

"So I see," Shadowstalker said with a chuckle. "I've never seen someone collect geranium fangs so easily—save the ones who just irritate the hell out of them and pluck them from their skin."

Hermione snorted. "Those are sub-par quality. The human body fluids ruin the purity."

"It's no wonder your apothecary is known for its quality ingredients."

Hermione smiled. "Rabastan and Rodolphus would never stand for anything less than the highest grade. They often say that if people want substandard ingredients, they can go somewhere else."

Softfoot guffawed. "Sounds right for those two. I know our Amelia won't order our field kits from anyone else. Even Mungo's is in a holding pattern for Severus' potions."

Hermione smiled, her expression thoughtful. "I am glad he is getting the recognition he deserves for all of his hard work." She poured Softfoot some tea and opened a tin of biscuits. "Minerva's very best. You _know_ you want some."

"Oh, Merlin, yes," he replied digging into the tin with his hand.

Cadbury's head lay on his head instantly, a loud purr of "gimmeh" loudly proclaimed.

Shadowstalker sighed, handing her one, and she skillfully took the biscuit into her mouth with her tongue. "Spoiled rotten is what you are, furry beast."

Cadbury purred and padded back over next to Toussaint and flopped back down, sharing her tasty prize with her mate. The moment their muzzles touched, the biscuit enlarged to a more Nundu-friendly size, and the pair happily crunched away at the buttery shortbread goodness.

Softfoot chuckled. "Charmed biscuits?"

Hermione smiled. "Minerva thinks of everything. She's been very accommodating to us since the Board of Governors unanimously voted for us to take up a permanent position caring for the grounds here. I think, but I cannot be quite sure, that they leaned on Dumbledore."

"You _do_ realise that many other schools would practically murder to have a mated pair of gryphons guarding their grounds?" Softfoot teased. "Doubly so for a mated pair of gryphons that have human forms?"

Hermione snorted. "Who's to say that gryphons don't all have that ability, hrm? Has anyone ever asked?"

"Would anyone think to _dare_ , more like," he replied.

Hermione tapped her nose. "Well spotted. I don't think that Headmaster Dumbledore is in agreement with the Board, but they weren't exactly giving him a choice in the matter after Professor Babbling magically gave all the house-elves clothes in order to free them from slavery. The Nifflers. The Gnome-hunting Bandicoots—nothing was sacred."

"That's the Hodgkins Babbling bloke, right? Considering how much you pay for a permit to introduce the Gnome-hunting Bandicoots to a new area, he must have royally pissed off a lot of people."

Hermione sighed. "And then some. Thankfully they go where the gnomes are, and Hogwarts does have a _lot_ of gnomes. It's the only thing they eat, from what I've been told. As for the elves, I am now convinced that there are two kinds of house-elf. The kind that truly take pride in their work and want nothing more than to serve their beloved family or place—and those that just don't fit in no matter where they go. Like that drunken elf Fudgy in the Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry whose sole claim to glory is making decaffeinated drinks."

Shadowstalker shook his head. "Who _wants_ decaffeinated drinks at half four in the morning? That is just wrong."

Hermione laughed. "Severus developed his 'Wake-Up' drops for hot and cold drinks especially for that. Amelia liked them so much she's having the Department pay him for rights so they can go into the field kits."

Softfoot gasped. "And no one _told_ me?! I'm going to have to have a word with her. It's bad enough trying to deal with Windsong in the morning without his tea being properly well-caffeinated."

"Truly any elf that works at the Department of Magical Transportation shouldn't be distributing decaffeinated drinks," Hermione said. "Who wants someone falling asleep at the wheel of the Knight Bus?"

"Personally, I think the drivers of the Knight Bus are all on something," Softfoot said dryly. "It's amazing to me that anyone gets anywhere in one piece."

"I say the same thing about brooms, to be fair," Hermione said. "Feels unsafe."

"Psh, you have your own wings," Softfoot teased. "Brooms would hardly be necessary." He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"The guest room is ready for you, you overworked public servant," Hermione said. "Just don't blame me if you end up with mini-gryphs cuddling you for warmth."

Softfoot grinned disarmingly as he saluted. "I swear the roles are reversed. We used to take care of you two,and now you're taking care of us old dodgers."

"Bah, old is relative in Wizard years, shoo! Go to sleep."

"Yes'um," he said, trudging off to the guest room.

Cadbury watched him go but didn't bother moving from her mate's side.

"How are you doing, Cadbury?" Hermione asked.

Cadbury rolled on her side, exposing her belly for inspection.

Hermione lay her hands on her belly and felt around, feeling the squirming of her unborn cubs moving inside. She lay her head against her belly and smiled. "They're going to be quite a handful, love," she said, grinning.

Cadbury mrowled and thumped Hermione down into a cuddle, surrounding her in a feline power hug.

Hermione shifted into her gryphlet form and cuddled the Nundu right back.

* * *

 _Time passes like a runaway Hogwarts Express…_

* * *

"Come on, Ron. Let's go out on the green. Professor McGonagall said we could go enjoy the picnic and meet the centaur herd today. _Real_ centaurs, mate! Let's go!"

Ron groaned. "But it's a ruddy forest," he whinged. "There are loads of creepy spiders in the forest."

"Ron, you inhale spiders in your sleep. I don't see why it matters if there is a spider in the forest," Harry snapped. "That's like me saying I don't like going places where people have red hair."

"That's different! That's your family!" Ron blurted.

"Hey, bro!" a taller Gryffindor called. "Ready to go meet some centaurs?" He eyed Ron with clear disapproval. "Hey, Ronald."

"Hey, Sean." Ron said, equally unhappy.

"You kidding? I'm totally ready!" Harry enthused. "Did mum write you a Howler for trying to sneak a broom into school?"

Sean sighed. "Are you kidding? Dad sent me a howler saying if I ever do something that stupid again, he's going to sell me to the Nundu and the Gryphon for potion ingredients!"

Harry shuddered. "You should have known better. The moment Ginger gets wind of some injustice about something she can't have, she's off writing to mum. Brandy is the same. She stood up in class and demanded to know why some people were allowed to have familiars that weren't on the list. You missed it because you were up in the Headmaster's office."

Sean groaned. "Our sisters. I can't _believe_ we were all born together. Maybe I was adopted?"

"Hey!" Harry protested, slugging Sean's arm.

The flaming redhead stuck out his tongue.

"Why, Messrs Potter. Mr Weasley. Shouldn't you all be out—enjoying the rare Scottish warmth?" a low baritone drawl startled the pair. Yet, while Harry and Sean perfectly looked happy, Ronald's pale face expressed otherwise.

"We should go!" Ron whispered, tugging on the two brothers.

"Hunter-Seeker," Harry and Sean chimed together, bowing slightly. "Uncle Severus," they added, cheekily.

The dark-haired wizard gave them a tight smile. "Your father has requested that, despite your horrible choice to bring his old broom to school with you," he said, giving Sean a pointed eyebrow, "that I provide you with appropriate gifts to take to the centaur today so you do not insult Magorian and end up setting yourselves on fire. Pity, that would've been _so_ entertaining."

Sean flushed crimson, and Harry stepped on Sean's foot with a told-you-so look painted distinctively on his face.

"My wife, despite my encouraging her to let your sisters wallow in social awkwardness for their own health, is taking care that your sisters bring proper gifts as well."

Ron looked positively pale and ready to hurl, but Harry and Sean grinned. "We get to meet _**THE**_ Magorian? The one who married you and Auntie Ari?"

Severus sniffed. "While I have not met another Magorian, it is possible that this one is actually a different Magorian who devours disobedient children."

Harry and Sean were not dissuaded and smiled together.

Severus pulled small bundles out of from a pouch on his belt and tapped them with his wand. He gave each of his cheeky nephews a haunch of venison to take with them, each wrapped skillfully in waterproof-charmed cloth and spider silk cords. He took out another bundle and made it larger—a basket filled with potions, salves, and ointments.

"Be careful with _this_ basket. You wouldn't want to—blow yourself up."

Severus' voice had an immediate effect on Ron, who was trying in vain to make himself look small enough to disappear behind the other two boys.

"Thank you, Uncle!" Harry and Sean said together. They skillfully avoided hugging the dark wizard in front of Ron, but they carefully cradled their gifts for the centaur in their arms and took the basket between them.

Severus sniffed, waving one hand, and the basket became lighter, allowing the boys to hurry off slightly less encumbered. "Amazing that all five mini-Potters have survived to school age. Now they just have to survive their parents' wrath."

"Mrowl!" Mrs Norris said, rubbing up against his dragonhide boots.

"Hn," Severus said, picking up the unrepentant feline offender.

Mrs Norris purred and bonked her head into his chin.

"There you are!" Argus said as he shuffled up in a hurry. "Sorry, Master Snape. She's so incorrigible."

"It is fine. Between Nundu cubs, visiting hellhound pups, one family-displaced hippogriff, and three mischievous gryphlets, one snuggle-seeking feline seems surprisingly lacking drama. Are you going to the picnic, Mr Filch?"

"I uh—" Argus stammered. "I didn't think I was invited."

"You work here at Hogwarts, do you not?" Severus asked, eyebrow arching.

Argus looked at his feet. "Yes, but—"

Severus shoved a parcel into Argus' arms that enlarged as he did so. "Here, take this. Give it to Magorian when you thank him for inviting you. You can't miss him. He's the one in charge."

Argus' face brightened. "T-thank you, Master Snape. I will."

"Hn," Severus replied, shooing away him with one hand. "Enjoy the picnic." He skillfully transferred his feline interloper back to Argus.

Three tawny and black gryphlet-shaped blurs, one young hippogriff trying desperately to fit in, a mix and match part of Nundu cubs, and a disgustingly hyper and happy hellhound came zooming down from the Headmaster's office and away to the Forbidden Forest. The distinctive sweet-tart odour of lemon sherbets made Severus' nose tingle.

Severus' ear twitched as he heard the Headmaster pleading with the gargoyle to _please_ let him stand up.

He found himself smiling despite himself. The previously gloomy future that Severus Snape had been forced to endure was no longer a possibility thanks to the work of one young witch who honoured the dead and thus impressed Death himself. And he—

Severus looked at his left arm, alive with the scratches and marks of so many playful gryphlets, Nundu cubs, baby hippogriffs, and even hellhound pups. He would take those marks of overzealous play over a future where a bloodthirsty megalomaniac's possessive Dark magic tattoo ruled both his past and future and killed his only childhood friend.

He and Lily may not have ever regained what they had had in their youth, but when his fingers rubbed the wedding band on his left ring finger, he knew that what he had now was so much more.

They might assist their Lord Father in escorting the souls from life to what lay beyond, but it was a duty taken gladly. Even as they did their duty in Death's service, they had each other. Even as Hunter-Seekers, they had found true purpose. As a potions master and with Ari at the helm of their business, the Nundu and the Gryphon Apothecary, they supplied top quality products all around the world. James Potter—once the bane of his entire _life_ —was now, beyond all expectations, both friend and partner in the business. The Lestrange brothers, probably one of the few who knew Ari and Severus' connection to Death, had helped secure the success of their business across Britain and beyond. The bond between himself and the House of Black had given him the gift of family thrice over, and having Regulus as his true brother brought him no small measure of peace. Even Sirius had found himself the victim of karma even after the Headmaster himself had failed to bring him to justice. And Lupin—

He was finally able to say that he was glad that the werewolf had separated himself from the influence of Sirius Black. Merlin, he even had a job at Hogwarts as the History of Magic teacher.

There had been a time when he had wished him just as horrible a fate as he could imagine for James Potter and Sirius Black as well as the snivelling little sycophant, Pettigrew.

Yet he had learned to forgive. Lily, James, Remus—even Dumbledore.

How could he have even _dreamed_ of such wonder and fate?

As he watched his mate herd up their wayward, mischievous gryphlets, their adopted hippogriff, the Nundu cubs, and the hellhound pups he found himself laughing—truly laughing. His laughter echoed off the sides of Hogwarts, filling it with mirth.

Toussaint proceeded to sit on his cubs, the gryphlets, the hippogriff, and the hellhound pups, pinning them all down with his massive bulk. The foiled youth squirmed and wriggled, thwarted.

Hermione turned to him, giving him a broad smile and a thumbs up.

Warmth filled his body from head to toe. The smile, like Ari herself, was his, by her own choice—and he was hers. Always.

* * *

When Albus saw the figure walking across the green from his office, he frowned, thinking it was one of the Board members strolling the grounds without having sent notice first. The figure was dressed from head to toe in dreary black, and he wondered if the Board had any colour sense at all.

The supposed guardians of Hogwarts had just let them stroll right in.

Dumbledore set off to intercept them, whoever they were pulling on his bond to Hogwarts to Apparate ahead of the visitor.

* * *

"Father!" Hermione rushed over to embrace her visitor.

"Hello, my daughter," the figure said, pulling the hood down from his head. He enfolded her with a warm embrace. "How are Ariel, Liam, and Devin?"

"Grandfather!"

"Neeeeeeheheheeheh!"

Three excited children and one young hippogriff rushed to him, and he scooped each one up individually. He hugged them and then knelt down to ruffle the hippogriff's softer young feathers. "And you too, my little adoptee," he said with a chuckle.

"Grandpa, grandpa, can we see your face?"

"Please!"

"Please?"

He sighed, giving them an all-suffering look.

"Please, grandpa?"

He winked at Hermione, and stood a little straighter, seemingly shrugging as if to shed a cloak off his shoulders. He swivelled his neck, his head going from side to side as his human face turned into that of a bleach-boned skull with glowing green flame orbs for eyes.

"Yay!" the children cheered, making adoring squeaks and happy noises, their hands oh so reverently touching his face. Death knelt as his skull head dipped to the hooked beak of a hippogriff skull, and he gently nuzzled the happy hippogriff adoptee.

"Will you tell us a story, Grandpa?"

"Please, oh please?"

"Please, Grandpa?

The young children all took on their gryphlet forms and looked up at him adoringly.

Death shimmered into his skeletal gryphon form and tucked them all under his wings. "Very well. My story begins a long time ago as mortals measure time in a place not so far from this…"

* * *

 _There were once two brothers and a sister who had a mother and father who loved them very much. They were all magical, as their family was well-known to be, but the father's family was deeply rooted in the Wizarding world while the mother was born of Muggles._

 _Still, the love between then was very great, and they had two sons and one daughter, each making their parents so very proud._

 _The brothers both loved their sister, but they could not watch her all the time any more than their tired mother could watch over the three of them at all times. One day, while the mother slept, the daughter wandered out into the yard and played, and like most magical children, magic tended to flare up and follow her needs regardless of her control._

 _The older brother was asked to watch over her, but he was but a child as well. Both brothers were, and they were not so focused as any adult. They got to playing gobstones with each other, not noticing that their sister had wandered from the room._

 _She played with stones in the yard, moving them about with her hands but also with her magic, and the fence that surrounded the yard was not so high as to block the sight of her from random passersby._

 _She performed her magic, oblivious to its significance, and the neighbour boys eventually spotted her and discovered her magical oddities. They beat her terribly for it, sparing her no amount of pain for being different and evil, for in their small minds, those things were one and the same._

 _The father, returning home from work, witnessed the attack on his young daughter—but was too late to stop it._

 _In his rage towards those who had beaten his daughter, he did serve his own justice upon them—_

 _But when Aurors came to confront him about the attacks, he did not wish to bring his beloved, damaged daughter into the spotlight. He was sentenced to Azkaban, to the horror of his sons and wife—the daughter being far too fragile to even attend the trial._

 _And so, the oldest brother, being forced to be the man of the family in his father's absence, began to resent the responsibility as well as the Muggles that had set it all in motion. He believed that if he could reverse the Statute of Secrecy that long separated the magical from the Muggle, the Muggles would be forced to both accept the magical and, perhaps, even their betters._

 _The seed was planted, and the boy grew up, always thinking of how to make such a dream a reality. But while one brother dreamed, the other grew bitter that his brother shirked his duty onto him, robbing him of his life too._

 _And one day, the elder brother met a young man who was unlike any other he had met._

 _Together, they devised a plan to save Muggles from themselves by becoming powerful enough to break the Statute of Secrecy—_

 _They wished to become the Masters of Death._

 _Together, they worked on their plan for many a year, and they even managed to obtain the Elder Wand, but before they could find the other two, the second brother's rage had finally exploded, and he confronted his brother and his compatriot on a far-away beach._

 _So angry was one brother that he brought his beloved, damaged, mute, and utterly volatile sister with him, bidding her stay on the beach as he stormed to his brother's side._

 _So blind was the other brother, that he didn't realise his sister had come with his angry brother._

 _A duel was called between the three, there on that lonely beach, but before any one person could get ahead of the other, the sister who loved them both threw herself between them and took a killing curse. She died there on the beach._

 _Stunned, all three could do nothing but stand there in horror, unable to move or speak._

 _They all parted ways, the younger brother bitter and blaming and the elder guilt-ridden and grieving while the friend with whom he had once shared mutual goals slowly faded into obscurity._

 _The brothers remained estranged even as one brother descended into his love of his goats to cope with his failures and the other attempted to save another innocent from a fate he believed his sister would have befallen had she lived._

 _Mistakes can happen, as we all know, and so they did._

 _The rise of a Dark Lord happened because of a good deed and the best of intentions, but some people are born broken, with an essential piece of themselves missing and the piece that should be there was never forged. No deed or magic could ever fill it, and no amount of killing ever brought any true emotion outside of anger to his heart._

 _It is quite ironic, yes?_

 _Truly, who would have ever guessed that taking an orphaned boy into the magical world would have given the monster within the tools he needed to terrorise an entire country and bring it to its knees—_

 _At least, that is what could have happened, had not one brave young soul realised just how much had been broken by one man's evil deeds. And she was willing to give up her own life—her entire history and family—to save those who had never been born and those whose lives had been ended too soon in a society already suffering from small numbers._

 _Grieving for the many over the few, one young witch, aged well beyond her years by the horrors of war, saw all too clearly the that the multitude of deaths on both sides of two crusades was a shameful condemnation of their society—a tragic waste perpetuated by one madman who had never known love and the man who had allowed him to grow up discovering the tools he could use to murder an entire society in a selfish quest for ultimate power._

 _She went from body to body, tending the dead while Death himself followed. It did not matter what side they fell, only that they deserved to be treated in death the same as any other. For this, she did not earn any love from either side. For this, she was viewed tainted somehow. For who could lay their hands upon the dead and not carry a part of that with them?_

 _So when all else had turned their back upon her, she made a wish, not to destroy that which had spurned her but to give the innocent their allotted time on Earth—to allow them to make their own path without the hand of some great war, whether that be for good or bad._

 _It is life—and Life itself wishes all of its creatures to have but a fair chance to grow and flourish and truly be themselves. Will there still be orphans, you might ask? Yes. Will baby sea turtles still die upon the beach to feed the predators that must feed their own young? Yes, but these are natural things, sad to those who value the life of all things but natural nonetheless._

 _But genocide, no matter how clear the alleged reason, is not. A person is not a meteor that destroys a world with its impact. It is not a flood that sweeps a world with its destructive embrace. The thinking being is not a voracious locust to descend upon a land and strip it clean of everything in unthinking droves, and that is where the mind did fail._

 _For that one boy, who may have never been a good man, was destined to be a troubled boy who grew into a terrible man—but just a man—not a force of terror to a people already suffering._

 _So, Death did hear this witch's inner plea to see things made right, and he consulted with Life. Life did give Her blessing to do what was in his heart, and he did take the witch into his Get, his bloodline, his Family, both to preserve her spark and allow her to do what he could not—set right what had been knocked off-kilter, to give each and every life a fighting chance._

 _Would some die anyway? Perhaps._

 _They would, however, have the chance to do it on their own terms in the struggle of life and death that every living creature faces._

 _There will always be hatred and bigotry, you see, but there will also be its opposite. The irony is that hatred and bigotry can exist in the same being as love and acceptance, but the right conditions must be there for one to rise up in dominance over the other._

 _So, I must ask you._

 _Do you take the side of one or the other, or do you take the hardest path of all—to tread the line in the middle, allowing the other two to rise or fall by their own choices?_

* * *

"We choose to be with you, Grandpa!" the gryphlets hummed together, their eyes bright and wings flapping with excitement.

Death gathered his grandchildren to him, smiling as they snuggled him mercilessly.

He stilled suddenly and stood, his head turning slowly. "Did _you_ enjoy the story, Albus?"

The elder wizard paled as Death turned to look him in the eyes, the fiery orbs of flame flicking in his skull-face. "You have lived a very long life, made a great many mistakes, but perhaps you have finally admitted them to yourself. You wished to become the Master of Death. I ask you. Do you _still_ wish to be?"

Dumbledore swallowed hard, visibly discomfited. He clutched at his chest, perhaps unconsciously.

"Mortals are blessed," Death said, rising up to his full height, which seemed to tower even without any effort on his part. "They have a beginning and an end, and between it lies a life filled with so many things. Beyond it, lies the great Mystery that only the truly brave can greet with open arms. Tell me, Albus. Are _you_ brave?"

"Those of my Get must give up this gift—this _choice_ —and none have until most recently in the here and now, the then and later, the past and gone. We exist in all these places to pick up the pieces of mortal choices. So—I feel I owe you this one kindness for bringing my beloved son and daughter to me, my grandchildren. I will, just this once, give you a choice that most will never have. Your heart is failing you. It can be now—or it can be three days from now. You could, if you choose, use that time to make your peace with those you have—injured along your way. You could, if you wished, bring peace between you and your brother, or appreciate the gift of the life you were given that you were allowed to live such a long, healthy life. Many would choose to flee in the face of Death. Will _you_?"

The gryphlets all turned in unison along with one hippogriff. Their bodies were skin spread across bone, their faces skeletal but for twin flames in their eyes. Their wings were plumed in ethereal feathers. Beaks open, they cried out together. Beside Death stood two fully grown gryphons cloaked in wispy ethereal fur and feathers, their skull-faces seeming to contort and change in the dim light of their flame-eyes—one the colours of sun through the most finely-aged cognac.

Death put one hand on each of the larger gryphons, his skeletal hands caressing their phantom feathers and skulls that gleamed like the moon.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore bowed his head. "I would appreciate three days to settle my affairs."

Death cocked his head and then nodded. He pressed the tip of one bony finger to Dumbledore's sternum as a soft blue glow surrounded his failing heart. "Three days, Albus. Do not squander the gift you have been given."

Albus took a deep breath. "I have always told myself that I would not fear the next great adventure," he said, "but I thank you for giving me the time to take care of what needs to be done."

The glows from the entire family of skeletal beings grew very, very bright until Albus could see nothing else.

He squinted in the brightness as it faded, and he found himself standing in the Headmaster's office, looking out over the Hogwarts green. The soft glow of a hearth fire lit the caretakers' residence as the even softer sound of children laughing drifted up from below. He touched his chest and closed his eyes, remembering well the progressive tiredness he'd been feeling for several weeks now. He'd shooed Poppy off every time she'd asked to examine him, casually dismissing her growing concern.

He couldn't really complain. Many times he'd almost died— _should_ have died. He had as many sins as he had accolades, but only he had been so oblivious as to bring about the rise of two Dark Lords while thinking himself clean of the stain of guilt.

He'd always figured he would die in some flamboyant fashion, in the midst of one last great battle for the Light, but he had long since forgotten who was on his team. The old scorecards seemed to be so terribly blurred these days.

The truth was, Albus had grown quite weary—of himself and his checkered history.

He'd shamefully ignored his sister far too often, then tried to pay for that by seeking revenge for her death.

He'd fallen under the spell and allure of Grindelwald and almost helped him to become the Master of Death—

He'd not reported Tom to Dippet when he suspected him of being the one to release the true beast from the bowels of the Chamber of Secrets—

Proof or no, there was only one amongst the denizens of Hogwarts who was a Parseltongue and it wasn't Rubeus Hagrid.

He'd let Hagrid stay on, despite multiple occurrences of secret illegal breeding without a permit as well as releasing the beasts he created into the Forbidden Forest making it impossible for children to visit there without supervision.

He'd dismissed so many terrible deeds as boys being boys instead of punishing them as they deserved—as Minerva had so often pleaded with him to do.

He'd been prejudiced against Slytherin as much as any true bigot, assuming that means to an end always meant the darkest of intentions.

But the most evil had come from Gryffindor.

He had been the one to bring Riddle to Hogwarts.

He had been the one to support Grindelwald.

He had been the one to let the "boyish pranks" get out of hand.

Worse, he had even counselled Lily Evans that the company she kept might influence her ability to get job offers she she had asked him for advice about what to do between herself and her childhood friend.

He was _such_ a hypocrite—he who had loved and followed a man who would be a Dark Lord up until his sister threw herself in the middle of a three-way duel. He had no right to judge her for being friends with a boy who happened to be Slytherin.

Dumbledore sat down at his desk, pulling a quill to his hand and dipping it into the inkwell.

There were so many things he had to take care of before the sand in the hourglass finally ran out.

* * *

"I wish to apologise to you, Aberforth," Albus said as he pulled him aside before the dinner began. "Words cannot express the regret I feel for the rift that has grown between us. Actions—every time I tried, it seemed I made a bigger fool of myself. I did not accept my responsibilities to our family as well as I should have. I dreamed of being free, but I lost sight of what was truly important. I know a few words can hardly make up for decades of strife, but—"

Albus' words were cut off by Aberforth's tight embrace—and his silent but true-felt relief. A rush of magic blasted out from them, and the line of goats that had followed him to the supper turned into a number of baffled-looking witches.

Aberforth had to sit down hard as Minerva pushed an utterly gobsmacked Albus aside to rush over and hurriedly clothe the poor ex-nanny goats.

"I had always wondered how your goats never seemed to die, Aberforth. I figured that perhaps you just had a thing for a very specific look in your goats. Since I had not the slightest idea when it comes to goats—"

Aberforth just babbled something that may or may not have been in Yiddish.

Suddenly, a trio of young gryphlets and one adorable hippogriff popped in and used their charms to lure the ladies out of the room and to what could only be assumed was the infirmary.

"How those gryphlets always seem to know, I'll never know," Minerva said. "Don't you worry, Aberforth. They'll take them to the infirmary and Poppy's apprentice will sort them all out."

She led him to the dinner table. "So, what's the occasion, Albus?"

Albus stroked his beard. "I wish to announce my retirement, Minerva. I've talked it over with the Board, and they'll be speaking to you about the details of becoming the Headmistress of Hogwarts. It should have been done long ago. But I stood in the way of it, and for that, I am truly sorry. You have been more than ready,and deserving and I have long overdue to hand over the reins of leadership. Consider this dinner my apology to you both for being—sadly unappreciative of what was right in front of me. I have come to realise that in seeking to make amends in the way I did, I was only making things worse."

"I wished to ask you—I want to make a trust. I never had a mate with whom to share my life or fortune, but I want to create a charitable fund to establish classes for Muggleborn students and parents to take before their child comes to Hogwarts to teach them about the Magical world before diving into the magical world head first—so they don't unintentionally offend or get taken advantage of. It will be a great boon for you, Minerva, in the years to come and for the children and their families as well. There will be, of course, a small stipend every year for taking care of this for me—I think you'll be quite pleased. The goblins were very clear that there is plenty in interest to cover the costs of classes each year, provide emergency funds for low-income families, and with plenty to spare to cover any of your own expenses. I would be honoured if you both would consider it. Not for me, but for the children coming who never knew they were in danger—or how close we came to losing Hogwarts without anyone ever knowing. The trust should cover hiring a teacher specifically for this class and cover any materials you might wish to make to hand out. The goblins have agreed to allow for tours and a lesson on the basics of Wizarding banking—and the centaurs have decided to host a short centaur etiquette program as well, something I think will help soothe the misunderstandings many of the children have had with the centaurs in the past. All the details can be found in here," he said, patting a leather-bound tome on the table.

Minerva and Aberforth stared at him like he'd grown a second head that looked disturbingly like Hagrid's.

"Do try the potato and spring onion soup," Albus said. "Old family recipe. As are the yeast rolls."

"Is this mum's—"

Albus smiled. "I didn't ignore everything mum tried to teach us," he said.

In the middle of the soup, Minerva and Aberforth said together, "I'll do it."

Albus smiled and clapped his hands. The next round of food appeared, fragrant pan-seared wild salmon fillets with lemon asparagus and baby carrots, courtesy of the Hogwarts house-elves, along with a few decanters of elf-made wine. He poured the wine into the chalices and raised one to toast. "To those we most value, whether we realise it or not. May they know we truly appreciate them."

They clinked their glasses together.

* * *

"Whatever is that?" Rodolphus asked as he poked his brother on the arm. He peered into the large wooden crate that had arrived by courier—quite a strange thing in the Wizarding world.

"You—I—"

"Articulate, brother." Rabastan looked into the crate and found a well-padded, break and spill-proof crystal tank containing a number of bright red bulbs that seemed to throb like a heartbeat. His eyes widened. "That _can't_ be what I think it is."

"That depends, Rab, what exactly do you think it is?"

"Erm," Rabastan said. "I'm not a hundred percent certain but I believe those are well over a million galleons' worth of Witch's Ganglion bulbs."

"Yup."

"Is that _all_ you're going to say?"

"I'm waiting for Severus to have his say on what it is for sure, but my galleons are on it being Witch's Ganglion too."

"What's the tag say? Who is this from?"

"Albus Dumbledore—it says: 'I let you down when I could have saved you from Bellatrix. I did not, then, believe it was my place to interfere, but I realised after that in not doing so, I had taken away your options. I hope that this small token of sincere apology will serve you well in your most excellent business'."

"Wow."

The two brothers sat down together just staring at the box when James shuffled in carrying a giant bag of Peruvian Shadow-crabs. Every time they clacked their pincers, they created a dark cloud that deposited a darker than dark powder over everything. "Hey, did you guys order crabs—oh, is that Witch's Ganglion? That stuff is worth more than half the vaults in Gringotts!"

"Dumbledore sent it," the Lestrange brothers said.

James stood, dumbfounded, as one of the crabs pinched his nose, covering his entire head with an inky black cloud of impenetrable darkness.

Orion walked in from the back rooms, ticking off things on a clipboard. He plucked the crab off James' face without even bothering to look up, tickling it under the belly, and placing it on his shoulder. The Peruvian Shadow-crab clacked in agreement, turning Orion's robes even more black.

James and the Lestrange brothers stared at the elder wizard. "How _does_ he do that?"

All the crabs struggled free of the sack and followed Orion around the store, enraptured. A Niffler sat on Orion's other shoulder and handed over bottles to help stock the shelves.

James sighed. "When we figure that one out, even the world's greatest mysteries will seem small in comparison."

* * *

"Hey, Harry."

"Yeah, bro?"

"What did you think of Dumbledore's strange speech tonight?"

"Strange speeches happen every night here, Sean."

Sean rolled his eyes. "Stranger than usual, then. It was all uplifting and 'forgive your neighbour' kind of stuff."

"Honestly I wasn't paying much attention because Ron was stuffing his face with honey barbecue chicken wings and getting the sauce all over everyone."

"Ew, nasty."

"Lucky you were sitting further down the table."

"Where I will stay from now on, thanks for the warning."

"Retiring though, that really is something," Harry mused. "That means Auntie McGonagall will become Headmistress."

"Finally, some sanity! Could you see _her_ taking any of the shite in her house that Dumbledore did?"

"Ron will spend the rest of his life in detention," Harry said, his lips quirking upward.

"More the happy us," Sean said. "And by us, I mean Gryffindor."

"Obviously," Harry said.

"Psh, now you sound like Uncle Severus."

"Is that so bad?"

"No, but you don't billow nearly enough."

Harry threw a book at him, which his brother caught. They laughed together.

"Ginger billows," Harry noted. "Even more than Amber and Brandy do."

"She adores our Uncle," Sean said. "Much to mum's distress."

"Why do you think that is?" Harry asked. "They grew up together, right?"

Sean shrugged. "I think it reminds her of something. You see it when she looks at Auntie Ari and Uncle Severus together. Kinda like Brandy when she gets caught with her hand in the biscuit tin after midnight, yeah?"

Harry pondered. "I wonder what she could feel guilty about?"

Sean wrinkled his nose. "I dunno, maybe she tried to steal his secret recipe for the perfect Beef Wellington."

Harry grinned. "We've been trying to for years."

"I think I figured out how to do it."

Oh?" Harry asked, interested.

"We convince Nyx to give us a copy."

The brothers grinned together. "Excellent."

"Oi!" a familiar voice said. "You going to leave us out of mischief? We're _totally_ the kings of mischief."

Fred and George Weasley wiggled their eyebrows at Harry and Sean.

"We're the kings of mischief," Sean said, pulling the twins closer and began to whisper as grins spread from boy to boy.

* * *

Dumbledore stood in the ancient cell, frowning as the accommodations were less than negligent. No matter, he thought. Tomorrow, they would move Gellert to a new cell with a real bed and at least some basic comforts. He may have been a danger to society as a whole, but even _he_ deserved to be treated like a human being.

The man in the corner lifted his head, his long white hair hanging like shrouds around his face. Only his eyes remained the same as he remembered—strikingly different and sharp in the greys of Nurmengard.

Grindelwald was a dangerous man with or without his wand, so he wore permanent accessories that fused to his core. If he attempted any magic, Dumbledore knew he would not live very long after. His own magical core would destroy him. His magic would destroy him from the inside out.

"Gellert," Albus said. He, too, had no wand upon visiting, but he brought some things to ease his suffering in the bleak stone prison: a softer, clean set of clothes, a warm blanket, a bedroll. Tomorrow, Albus knew, Gellert would have more, but for this one night, at least, he would have something he remembered.

The clothes were an old favourite, spun of the fine silks of the orient. It wasn't Acromantula silk or magical, but it had been something Gellert admired for its beauty and the skill that ensured it could be made without magic. The blanket and bedroll were from a time long past when he and Albus had once scraped by in a Muggle city as they plotted how to become the Masters of Death. They had worked together to make them comfortable, warm. Back then, they had been allies, friends.

"Gellert," Dumbledore said. He wrinkled his nose at the filthy, threadbare mat he had to sleep on. With no magic to allow him to make it less horrible, it remained worse than sleeping outside under the stars. He unrolled the bedroll and set it down with the blanket and clothes.

"Away from me, demon," Gellert hissed. "I _know_ you are not real!"

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "It is I, Gellert. For the greater good," he said, stating the phrase they had, together, forged a friendship with.

"Albus?"

"Hello, old friend," Albus said, pained to see that one who had been so proud and confident now so weak and frail.

"Why are you here?" Gellert asked, his hand pulling the blanket towards him as he wrapped it around himself with trembling hands.

Albus wondered if the tremble was real or yet another lie. Gellert had always been good at the artful lie. The half-truth.

Yet—without magic, Gellert was like a Muggle. Perhaps he really was—fragile.

"I've come to say goodbye, old friend," Albus said, "and to tell you some of my best memories were with you. I never wished this for you, Gellert. Even knowing we fought for our lives, I never desired this end for you."

"Even though I jinxed your brother?"

Albus was silent for a time. "It was a really good jinx. A very intuitive release. You knew the chances of Aberforth ever hugging me willingly was not likely to happen, if ever."

"Yet, here you are, Albus. Even knowing what I did. Why?"

Albus sighed heavily. "We've lived a long time, Gellert," he said after a while. "I may not agree with the dream we once shared, but I still remember the two young men who swore an oath never to fight each other. Neither of us did that idly at the time we made it, despite what came later."

Albus closed his eyes, wistful. "I still remember our better times. Ariana would not wish us to remain estranged forever."

Gellert's eyes closed. "Even if I killed her?"

Albus turned his head to look out the small slit of a window. "We have both done horrible things, regretful things, and Ariana—even then she wanted to help us stop fighting."

Gellert sighed heavily. "Of any regret I may have, hers I remember most." His gaze was far away. "We were good once. Together."

"We were," Albus replied, his expression sorrowful.

"We could have succeeded," Gellert said. "We could have found the Hollows and done away with the Statute of Secrecy."

"Yes," Albus agreed.

"We mucked it up royally, didn't we?" Gellert said.

Albus nodded slowly. "Yes. We did."

Gellert seemed to slump even further against the wall. "I've missed you. What we were. What we could have been. We could have been gods. Can you forgive me, Albus? For still dreaming of it?"

Albus knelt, taking Gellert's hands in his. "I forgive you, old friend. Can you forgive me for having walked away?"

Grindelwald's hands twitched, but his fingers tightened around Dumbledore's. "Would you stay with me for a while?"

Albus' eyes softened. "Of course."

* * *

Albus walked the beach he had left behind so many years ago—the same beach his sister had died trying to stop a three-way duel between her brothers and her elder brother's cherished friend.

The sand was still warm from the day's sun, but the moonlight was soft against the grains and water.

This had once been a place of peace.

He and Gellert had once gazed on the stars and planned the future of the world, dreaming of a place where both Muggles couldn't get away with beating a child (magical or not) to the point where she couldn't control her magic ever again.

Which had caused his father to be placed in Azkaban rather than confess the _real_ reason why he had avenged his daughter—

Which had ended up with their mother dead due to Ariana's uncontrolled magic—

Which had caused Albus to have to take care of Ariana while Aberforth was still in school.

He had tried to do the right thing, but it had still made him bitter.

He believed himself destined for better, greater things.

He'd given up a world tour with Elphias Doge upon receiving word of his mother's death.

And then, when Ariana had died, he had given up his dreams in the guilt of her death. Everything in his life had circled the same drain: Ariana.

Even now, he was unsure if he had made up for his sins or simply kept himself afloat in a churning sea.

It had to be enough. He had an entire lifetime to get to this point, and he had done both good and terrible things along the way. He hoped that he had at least done sufficient good to balance out the bad—the mistakes.

He placed his hand to his breastbone. He had lived over a hundred years and then some. He had settled his affairs, arranged for Gellert to at least have some basic comforts in his final days, however long they would be. No matter what he had done so long ago, sleeping on a bare mattress with a thin, shabby blanket was above and beyond just punishment. For Gellert, simply being forced to stay in one place would be torture enough. In prison, there was no one to influence and no dark creatures to charm. Being alone for the rest of his life was a prison all on its own for him.

The Nundu and the Gryphon Apothecaries would be set to provide grand remedies the world over—and support the families he had let down in his quest for the greater good. Minerva and his brother would be set to help the Muggleborn students get a better start at Hogwarts and have a little extra to enjoy themselves from time to time—maybe hire another bartender at the Hogshead and get to re-known the loves of his life that had been inadvertently cursed into goats by Gellert.

The rest of his fortune he had hoarded for decades—his books and remainders of his vault he put in trust to the guardians of Hogwarts. He had always suspected there was much more to that little golden gryphlet than met the eyes as if being adopted by the Black family wasn't proof enough. Now, of course, he realised just _how_ special she was.

She'd saved Severus Snape from one of his greater mistakes. Together, they had cleaned up after him—after both Gellert and Tom as much as him. They'd even cleaned up after Rubeus, who from all accounts said he was rather enjoying his stay at the Greenland Greater Ice Tortoise Sanctuary.

It should never have gone that far, Albus confessed. If by some miracle Hagrid had beaten Orion Black in that duel it would have destroyed a family and possibly _killed_ two members of the Black Family—Severus and Regulus had been bound my familiar magic as well as familial. The rare gryphlet may have died rather than succumb to bond with Hagrid, and Severus and Regulus may have died of the agonising broken bond.

For that, Albus bestowed his summer cottage to Orion Black to do with as he wished. The intimidating man had a way of peering deep into one's soul, but he had no doubt he would do what was right and fair with the remainder of his estate.

The gryphons would fly over Hogwarts and the Dark Forest for as long as they drew breath—and the legends said that was long as they wished it. Hogwarts couldn't be safer. He was glad of it.

Jingle. Jingle.

Albus looked up to see a young woman walking along the shore. Her wild curls ringed her head like a fluffy mane, but a fine, feathered crest rose up from the top of her head. Fawkes warbled from her shoulder, singing a gentle tune. A tiny lint ball chick sang from her other shoulder, switching from fire to electricity with each peep. Each step that the woman took, soft bells jingled, and he realised that she had jesses on her ankles like those found on a hunter's falcon.

"Hello, Albus," she said, her eyes flickered like firelight through a fine cognac, shifting from gold to honey brown in a ceaseless movement of flames. "Have you set your affairs in order?"

"I have," Albus said. "I thank you for that."

"You needn't thank me," she said with a soft smile. "I will, however, be sure to thank my Lord Father for you."

Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Who are you really? Please humour an old man before he must leave this world."

The woman tilted her head. "I was a survivor of a long war that took many lives before its end. At the end, I tended the dead until I almost fell amongst them—for Death followed behind me and gathered the souls for their journey. There were many victims. Many unforgivable deeds."

"But more so, there were countless victims. Slaughtered innocents. Children forged into weapons, cannon fodder, and warriors. Some would say that is simply the nature of war—but it was a most unnatural war that should never have come to pass."

The woman stood taller, cracking her neck as she shrugged her shoulders. "On the day you interviewed one Sybill Trelawney, you allowed someone to overhear it. Knowing full well what would happen, you let them go, thinking that you could use this knowledge later in the upcoming war. You had no idea at the time that it would cause the death of your favoured people—or the torture of two of your most loyal to the point where their son would grow up to be haunted by the shadow of his dead parents. You had no idea that your greater good would throw a boy under the bus, forced to live with magic-hating relatives who abused him every day of his life. In the end. You raised him just high enough that he trusted you completely, and he walked out into a forest to meet his death for the greater good—because you trained him to. In the meantime, you forced a man who had been a boy under your care to be your secret agent on the inside, allowing him no friends, allowing him no allies. He killed you—at your behest, fracturing his soul but one more time because you asked him to."

To his credit, Dumbledore paled in horror, his face lined with disbelief.

"I watched my friends crumble after 'winning' that war. I watched them grieve so much that they couldn't even remember not being in pain. I watched them bicker over whose pain was more legitimate. I watched a friend who should have had a chance to make a life just weave himself a false blanket of security and rock himself to sleep hoping nothing would change lest he lose one more thing he loved. I spoke to the portraits of the dead and realised there would never be closure or comfort, and one night I found myself before the Mirror of Erised, watching all of what could have been but could not be."

"I wished, in that despair, to help them. I had made my choices, and I was prepared to live with them, but if I could help those that deserved better—"

The woman took in a deep breath. "There is always a price for power. A check and balance. Mine was to be bound unto His service to set right what once went wrong and hope each time that the terrible future would not come to pass."

"And what price have you paid?" Albus inquired. "Seems like fixing what went wrong didn't really make you pay much of a price."

The woman's flesh fell away from her bones leaving only a skeleton and fire burning in the sockets where her eyes should have been. Her skull was that of an eagle; the wickedly curved beak parted in a silent hiss. Her bone hands clenched.

"There is no Afterlife for _me_ , Albus Dumbledore. No great rest. No peace of Oblivion. I will remember when the world forgets and heals. The value of many a life lies within its finite splendour. Had you not lost who you have, would you still be with Grindlewald attempting to subjugate Death and rule the world with some mockery of benevolent guidance? So many small things become significant when life is measured—limited."

Albus realised in that moment that there was nothing in what this being was saying that he himself hadn't faced, denied, and faced again. She was right. It was the struggle for life that made life meaningful. Being immortal—ageless—would be a different sort of struggle to find meaning in infinite time, to still care when everything withered around you.

He realised he could not live such a life.

No, he was finally ready to greet the beyond.

She looked at him, her flesh restored, her bones no longer exposed. She looked human yet so much more. She extended her hand.

"Ariana awaits you," she said kindly. "You shouldn't keep her waiting any longer."

Albus felt the breath hitch in his throat. "Ariana."

"Walk with me, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

His hand hesitated only slightly before her fingers wrapped around his.

They were warm.

So very warm.

And they walked together into Death's Embrace.

* * *

Time passed as it always did, sometimes so fast it barely seemed but blink and sometimes so slow that it seemed to crawl.

Hogwarts, however, remained frozen in time even as it evolved and changed. It remained a place of safety, of learning.

While headmasters and mistresses would come and go, teachers rise and retire, and students grew into young adults—the guardians of Hogwarts remained as frozen in time as the walls and the magic that made it so very magical.

Severus and Hermione nested at the very top of Hogwarts, the school having formed a great and sheltered aerie across the ramparts. There, countless gryphlets were hatched and sent out into the world—some staying many years at Hogwarts before striking out into the world to find their own mates and adventure, not always in that order.

While they would never know the passion that came with knowing life's end, they escorted many to theirs in their duty to their Lord Father, and in witnessing so many lives and their loves and losses, they, too, remembered what it was to love and lose, live and appreciate, and find joy in the moment.

They had each other, even when their once young friends grew old and grey, passing their success and business to the younger generation. The Lestrange family flourished once more, forever bound in respect and friendship to the Black family generation after generation.

They had their Lord Father, who loved them as only a being such as He could love— with infinite patience and equal compassion.

Harry Potter grew up to be a respectable wizard—level-headed where his father had once been wild and reckless. He became Head Auror faster than any before him, and generations of Potters after him would follow in his footsteps as the kind of people who protected the Wizarding World from the unseen dangers. The Potter legacy did not fade into obscurity, and Harry never knew the stigma of being the Boy-Who-Lived. Instead, he became the protector of the people, not out of prophecy but choice— the greatest choice of all: to live.

This father and mother were very proud, indeed.

And alive— for a lifetime, long enough to see great-grandchildren and then some.

His stuffed dog, Sirius, was passed down through the generations—an heirloom no one could quite understand how it remained so pristine and lifelike, even after so many babies had teethed and chewed and drooled upon it.

But, all of these things were from a distant future not yet recorded on any parchment or held in some hidden crystal ball.

No, for now, Severus and Hermione lay together in their great nest above Hogwarts, warming their clutch of eggs of the future generation of mischief-hunting gryphlets. Toussaint, the mini-gryffs, one hippogriff with an identity crisis, and the hellhounds tucked around them.

Cadbury would slink in, often dragging her partner along by his trousers, and snuggle into her mate as the Nundu cubs chased, pounced, prowled, and toppled each other around the gryphons' great nest.

The guardians of Hogwarts might shift and grow in number, but Hogwarts and all those within would be safe and sound.

There would always be the great black gryphon and his lovely honey-feathered mate protecting the school, teacher, staff, students, and forest denizens alike.

And sometimes, whenever tragedy did strike—

A tall, stern pale-skinned man and a slender, kindly-looking woman would take the soul by the hand and gently guide them to what lay beyond.

Their hands would _always_ be warm.

A small, smooth stone would soon be found where the body once lay, shimmering with the blessing of the Underworld and Afterlife.

* * *

Severus snuggled into his mate, preening her head feathers before laying his head across her neck and wings.

Their ears perked as a faint tap, tap, tapping came from below them.

Hermione used her beak to move aside the layer of down lining the nest, and they both watched as a tiny black beak emerged from the crack in the shell. Two black eyes peered out at them from the hole in the egg as the gryphlet exploded outward in a shower of shell shrapnel.

Hermione quickly licked her firstborn of the year over as Severus, too, inspected the new arrival to check if all head, feet, wings, and various appendages were intact.

Bone hands lifted the gryphlet up from the nest as Death inspected the new arrival. His glowing orb eyes burned brightly in the bone-bleached skull. "Welcome to the Family, my grandchild. One of many."

He placed a kiss upon the tiny gryphlet's forehead and tucked him back into the next between his parents. Death placed his hands upon Severus and Hermione.

"Well done, my loves," he praised. "The future is looking very bright indeed."

Severus and Hermione closed their eyes as Death rubbed their head feathers.

Whatever came, they would face it together, as a family.

Always.

* * *

 **Fin.**

* * *

 **A/N:** If you got the Quantum Leap reference, yay!

This story was put on hiatus back in January when I was neck-deep in taking my boards. I apologise for the wait, and I hope you are happy with the happy piece of eternity for our most beloved characters.

My thanks for your patience and understanding that my life is, like my inspiration, a fickle, demanding beast.


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